Jean Rondeau and The Bach Dynasty

Harpsichordist Jean Rondeau returns to lead OSL in the finale of this year’s Bach Festival with a program tracing the evolution of the Bach dynasty’s music across the 18th century.

The evening begins with Johann Christian Bach’s Concerto in F Minor, an exciting work from the youngest son of J.S. Bach. J.C. embraced the lighter, more melodic style of the Classical era, a departure from his father’s intricate counterpoint. This lesser-known concerto brims with drama, shifting from a stormy opening to a more intimate middle movement before closing with a rapid-fire finale.

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, whose music was prized for its unpredictability and expressive freedom, is represented by his Concerto in D Minor, a work steeped in the newly emerging Empfindsamer Stil (“sensitive style”). Emphasizing sudden contrasts, restless harmonies, and deeply personal expression, it reflects his bold departure from Baroque formality. Rondeau also performs his transcription of C.P.E.’s Andante con tenerezza, a movement of introspective journeying.

The program concludes with J.S. Bach’s Concerto in D Minor. Likely adapted from an earlier violin concerto, it is filled with fierce virtuosity, jagged rhythms, and striking harmonic clashes. It’s Bach at his most dramatic and unrelenting, and a thrilling finale to this exploration of a legendary musical lineage.