The concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach for solo harpsichord and strings are some of the earliest, if not the very first, keyboard concertos. In all likelihood Bach wrote them for his own use (or that of his talented sons) – probably to be performed with Leipzig’s Collegium Musicum. The concertos’ fresh and exuberant character came across on Masato Suzuki’s first installment of Bach’s harpsichord concertos together with his colleagues in Bach Collegium Japan. Of the works presented on this second volume, BWV 1054 and BWV 1058 are adaptations of violin concertos. The model for BWV 1055 has been lost but it is believed to be a concerto for oboe or viola d’amore. BWV 1057 is an adaptation of the well-known Brandenburg Concerto No. 4.
J.S. Bach: Concertos for Harpsichord & Strings, Volume 2 – Bach Collegium Japan, Masato Suzuki
