Carl Philipp Emanuel’s music is eminently approachable, full of quirky, angular subjects which swoop in unexpectedly, with virile, bustling allegros and pensive, yearning slow movements of surprising candidness, whirling passages for the soloists’ fingers in the concertos, and plenty of wit and exuberance. Here are 10 of the most outstanding recordings of CPE Bach's music, the perfect starting point for a journey of discovery.

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‘Hamburg’ Symphonies, Wq182

The English Concert / Trevor Pinnock (Archiv)

‘The performance by the English Concert has an assurance that is even now rare when 'original' instruments are used, with secure intonation and good tone. It makes the most of Bach's rapid changes of dynamics. In other words, it reveals the considerable qualities of the music. There is no doubt that this record of CPE Bach is outstanding.’ Denis Arnold (Gramophone, March 1981)

Oboe Concertos

Xenia Löffler ob Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (Harmonia Mundi)

‘Mingling athletic precision and devil-may-care abandon, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin relish the music’s seething energy and harmonic and dynamic shocks. Violins surge and spit frenetically against the glinting high-pitched horns.’ Richard Wigmore (Gramophone, January 2020)

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Keyboard Concertos, Wq43 

Andreas Staier hpd Freiburger Barockorchester / Petra Müllejans (Harmonia Mundi)

‘Staier’s copy of a big Hass harpsichord, which has served him well on recent solo recordings and on which he makes free with the many register combinations, stands up to the superbly boisterous orchestra with ease. Marvellous stuff.’ Lindsay Kemp (Gramophone, June 2011)

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Flute Concertos

Emmanuel Pahud fl Kammerakademie Potsdam / Trevor Pinnock (Warner Classics)

‘Urgent, direct, effortlessly virtuoso to the nth degree, always lyrical and awash with conviction, these are readings that will keep you on your toes.’ Charlotte Gardner (Gramophone, November 2016)

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Cello Concerto in A major, Wq172

The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen / Steven Isserlis vc (Hyperion)

‘While Isserlis does recognise the music’s volatility, his delivery emphasises a Haydnesque refinement and elegance that throw an entirely new perspective on the concerto. In fact the recording is worth your money for the Bach alone.’ Charlotte Gardner (Gramophone, Awards 2017)

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Sonatas for Keyboard & Violin

Rachel Podger vn Kristian Bezuidenhout fp (Channel Classics)

‘The give and take between them as they dovetail their parts, provoking and responding, is a delight, as is their sensitivity to the range of styles that intermix in the personality-rich music of this fascinating figure – far more than a mere bridge between the two artistic peaks of the 18th century.’ David Threasher (Gramophone, October 2023)

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‘Sanguineus and Melancholicus’ - Chamber Works

Florilegium (Channel Classics)

‘The C minor Sonata is extraordinary, a programmatic work 'portraying a conversation between a ‘Sanguineus’ and a ‘Melancholicus’ who disagree throughout the first two movements, but the former's outlook prevails in the finale. The talented Florilegium players bring out to the full the bewilderingly diverse character of this sonata.’ Lionel Salter (Gramophone, January 1998)

‘Württemberg’ Sonatas

Mahan Esfahani hpd (Hyperion)

‘The elusive fusion of thematic intricacy, ‘Baroque’ rhetoric and ‘proto-Classical’ Sturm und Drang offered by the instrument are caught perfectly by Esfahani’s supple touch and disarming sense of rhetorical pacing.’ David Vickers (Gramophone, February 2014)

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Sonatas & Rondos

Marc-André Hamelin pf (Hyperion)

‘Among the character pieces in Hamelin’s selection, a highlight is the wacky L’Aly Rupalich (H95), brought to life here with great zest and wit. Is it possible to listen to this piece without moving your body? I doubt it. This is surely an 18th-century equivalent to hip hop. Throughout the programme, Hamelin’s delight and relish are highly infectious.’ Michelle Assay (Gramophone, February 2022)

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Magnificat

Elizabeth Watts sop Wiebke Lehmkuhl alto Lothar Odinius ten Markus Eiche bass RIAS Kammerchor; Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin / Hans-Christoph Rademann (Harmonia Mundi)

‘Elizabeth Watts is true and touching in ‘Quia respexit’ and contralto Wiebke Lehmkuhl brings a mingled warmth and purity to the beautiful ‘Suscepit Israel’. Lehmkuhl also launches the Heilig, where the recording creates an ideal spatial separation between the distant angelic choir and the more ‘present’ chorus of nations on earth, singing in keys remote from each other. This is the finest recording of CPE’s choral masterpiece I have heard.’ Richard Wigmore (Gramophone, April 2014)

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