Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major

Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major is best understood as a violin concerto in which the soloist is joined—with deliberate novelty—by two recorders (always playing as a pair). While the violin achieves supremacy in the outer movements, showing off with some of Bach’s most virtuosic writing for the instrument, things are reversed in the central “Andante” where the recorders bask in the limelight and the violin often retires into an accompanying role. The three movements are exquisitely contrasted. The opening “Allegro” trips along in a delightfully light dance rhythm which belies the sophistication of the material. The central slow movement (“Andante”) is a reflective sarabande, which plays with light and shade, as Bach highlights the dialogue between the soloists and full ensemble with contrasting loud and soft dynamics. The final “Presto” is a brilliant blend of fugue and concerto, where the main orchestral passages are actually fugues, involving close imitation between the instruments, linked together by episodes of concerto-like solo display. About J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos The Brandenburg Concertos are the greatest job application ever assembled. In 1721, Bach dedicated his score to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg, not in fulfilment of a commission, but hoping to impress his way into the Margrave’s service. The title Brandenburg Concertos was actually invented by Bach’s first biographer in 1873; Bach himself just referred to them as Six Concertos for Several Instruments. They were not conceived as a set, nor intended specifically for the Margrave, but were mostly written during Bach’s time as Kapellmeister at the court of Cöthen (1717-23). Here he worked with a varied and talented group of instrumentalists who spurred him on to explore the potential of the concerto, which he reinvented with each new work.