Michael Form; Au Pieds du Roy - Bach: Recovered Chamber Concertos

Johann Sebastian Bach was an incredibly good recycler of his own music and reused much of what he had already composed in a different form. For the concerts of the Collegium Musicum, which had been taken over from Telemann, in the famous Caf� Zimmermann, he needed a large number of instrumental pieces. This was also a special opportunity to perform music for up to four harpsichords - a field of experimentation that must have been extremely appealing to Bach as a legendary keyboard virtuoso.

These harpsichord concertos in particular probably all have a Weimar prehistory as chamber concertos for various solo instruments in versions that are unfortunately lost today.

Michael Form sets about reconstructing these original versions with great detective instinct. However, the focus is not only on the reconstruction of the works, but also on the rediscovery of an entire genre: the concerto da camera, in which several solo instruments perform together without orchestral accompaniment.

Michael Form is recognized as one of the most multifaceted musicians of his generation. For many years, he has been successfully balancing his two career paths as an instrumental virtuoso and as an orchestral conductor. As a recorder player, he has specialized exclusively in Early Music, though as a conductor he moves across the music of various eras with ease. His broad repertoire thus spans from the music of the late Middle Ages all the way to the music of the present. He has been active as a conductor since 2004, directing acclaimed baroque and modern symphonic orchestras as well as professional choirs throughout Europe, Latin America, and Oceania. He has currently led over 160 opera performances at renowned theaters.