Three Harpsichord ( & Piano) Concertos by G.A.Benda (1722-1795)

[fahl5]

Mozart loved G.A.Benda and said about him that from all germans just the Bach-Family and the Bendas have had the only reasonable musical understanding.

However these concertos are explicitly written for Harpsichord, meanwhile it sounds to me still surprisingly convincing to play them with a modern piano. Therefore I just made both versions, reflecting the differencies of both instruments mostly in the general and detailed tempodecisions and of course dynamical details which could only be produced by the modern grandpiano.

G.A.Benda: Harpsichordconcertos L-682,685 & 688

G.A.Benda: "Piano"-Concertos L-682,685 & 688

Even if G.A.Bendas Concertos are by far not as wellknown as Mozarts those recordings are definitly not the first. I think there are at least two or three other recordings of each available. But they still complete pretty well my presentation of G.A.Benda on klassik-resampled and in my ears they deserve to be much more heard.

I hope you enjoy them.

best

fahl5

[Jos Wylin]

Hi,

Both version are very nice and sound particularly well (Orchestral Strings?). Personally, I prefer the Cembalo with its precision and carity. It comes more forward as a solo instrument (contrast with the soft strings). But as said, you did a wonderful job with both versions. My opinion is merely a matter of taste.

I love the Benda music and a lot of contemporary Czech music (Myslivecek, Fiala...). They were often underestimated because of the huge successes of Haydn and Mozart.

Thank you for sharing.

Max

[fahl5]

Thank you for your kind answer. I use Dimension Strings (4,4,3,2,1) only for sordinos I had no choice but to use the Chamberstrings. But for smaller Baroque-ensembles I like the Dimension Strings very much.

best

fahl5