I listened recently to a performance of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 4 (BWV 1049) in G Major for String Orchestra with violin and two alto recorder soloist parts. Claudio Abbado was conducting the Orchestra Mozart in this work.
There are six Bandenburg Concertos in all which the composer dedicated to Christian Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, in 1721.
The Brandenburg Concertos were written in Concerto Gross form which creates a dialogue between the soloists and the remainder of the orchestra, known as the ripieno, all held together by a continuo harpsichord which plays chords in order to integrate the harmony.
Concerto No 4 is forward looking to the era when the standard concerto emerged whereby a solo instrument competes with a full orchestra. The hallmarks of this concerto are a virtuoso violin soloist and a haunting recurring theme.
The concerto is in four movements. The first movement is an Allegro in G Major followed by a contrasting second movement as an Andante in E minor as the relative minor of the home key. The final movement is a Presto in G Major which returns to the home key.
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