Just as Bach unfailingly lifts the spirits, Bath’s BachFest – a complement to the longer-established MozartFest – is guaranteed to brighten the gloom of February. In the final concert of this year’s festival the English Concert was directed from the harpsichord by Francesco Corti, winner of the 2022 Diapason d’Or for his solo recordings. As soloist in the opening Harpsichord Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052, Corti’s virtuosity was perceptible, but only just: in the context of Bath Abbey the sound of this particular instrument was not quite robust enough to hold its own against the string forces, albeit scaled down in number.
That concerto was adapted from a showpiece for violin and, since Bach was an inveterate recycler, players and editors have more recently felt able to follow his example. The Concerto for two oboes and bassoons was assembled from movements of the Easter Cantata BWV42 and the Easter Oratorio BWV249a, chosen for their long, eloquent woodwind lines. Bach would surely have approved of both the motivation and the playing here.
