Reconstructions: Bach's Keyboard Concertos

Programme
J.S. Bach: Keyboard Concerto in G Minor, BWV 1058 (arrangement by J.S. Bach of his Violin Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1041)
J.S. Bach: Violin Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052R (proposed reconstruction by Wilfried Fischer of J.S. Bach's Keyboard Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052)
Interval
J.S. Bach: Violin Concerto in G Minor, BWV 1056R (proposed reconstruction by Wilfried Fischer of J.S. Bach's Keyboard Concerto in G Minor, BWV 1056)
J.S. Bach: Keyboard Concerto in D Major, BWV 1054 (arrangement by J.S. Bach of his Violin Concerto in E Major, BWV 1042)Alexander McNamee, harpsichordSamuel Oliver-Sherry, violinAbout
On paper, the harpsichord should have absolutely no business being a concerto instrument. With its plucked mechanism affording the player virtually no control over dynamic weight or variation, he instrument would appear hopelessly outmatched set against an ensemble of bowed strings that are capable not only of far greater volume and resonance, but of shaping that sound through crescendo, diminuendo, articulation, and sustained tone. However, that didn't stop keyboard virtuoso Johann Sebastian Bach from experimenting with placing the harpsichord out of its continuo home and into the spotlight: the result are eight of the first ever keyboard concertos, BWV 1052-1056, composed to illustrate Bach's own prowess at the instrument, with all thought to be arrangements made from earlier concertos for melodic instruments probably written in Kothen.There's just one problem. Most of the original concertos (of which Bach's keyboard concertos are based on) do not survive today. Some do, like Bach's concertos for violin in A Minor and E Major which would later become keyboard concertos in G Minor and D Major respectively, but with the others there is much contention in determining what the intended instrument was, or even the original key. Musicologist Wilfried Fischer prepared several "reconstructions" for these pieces in the Neue Bach Ausgabe in 1970, and it is this concept that marks the point of departure for Vocatio:Responsio's 2026-27 season finale.And who better to collaborate with on this concert than Vocatio:Responsio's very own Bach fanatic, Alexander McNamee, who will be the keyboard soloist for the two keyboard concertos, while music director Samuel Oliver-Sherry takes the reigns for Fischer's reconstructed violin works!