Evgeny Beleninov plays his transcription of Sonata Wq. 55/3 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788), originally for keyboard. Sound and Video by Jakob Schmidt. This comes via Beleninov’s YouTube channel (go subscribe). Evgeny Beleninov is a Russian guitarist based in Berlin. Excellent playing by Beleninov with crisp articulations, clear phrasing, and some gorgeous cross string trills. Beautiful sound and overall hold on the form of the works (tricky in this style). Lots of attention to the wealth of motivic ideas crammed into these movements. It’s nice to hear some C.P.E. Bach which is rarely arranged for guitar. C.P.E. Bach fits so strangely between the time periods of his father and the later generation of composers he would influence such as Haydn and Beethoven. The empfindsamer Stil (sentimental style) and later Sturm und Drang (storm and stress) style always amazes me by how easy it is to listen to but how unexpected some of the musical ideas pop in and out of the otherwise familiar texture. It’s a music of contrasts that play with your emotions.
