Harmonia Mundi's Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Symphonies & Concertos in HM Gold series is a reissue is the second entry among a pair of excellent
C.P.E. Bach discs by the
Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin, recorded in the late '90s. To be fair, of the two this is probably the lesser release, although that's not by a margin of very much; one wishes
Raphael Alpermann's harpsichord was a little louder in the Concerto in C major H. 654/Wq. 20, but that's about the only inequity between this and the other disc. This concerto appears along with the "first" cello concerto and three additional symphonies;
Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin, handles all of these works with an unbridled, no-holds-barred exposition of this
Bach's sense of aggression and otherness, yet with crisp, precise playing that remains exceptional in its energy and drive.
Bach's stormy Symphony in E minor H. 653/Wq. 178, is a particular standout owing to the stirring and well-intoned playing of the
Akademie's period brass. The music is compelling, exciting, propulsively rhythmic, and the listener will likely forget that these are, after all, classical period symphonies; the intention here is to pay lip service to
Bach's reputation as a progenitor of romantic style. From such a standpoint, this disc works very well and is highly recommended.