By BC94747
16-Sep-2010

When the harpsichord calls the shots  

Krebs composed these pieces at a time when the sonata comprising a keyboard and melody instrument was undergoing a shift in balance, with the traditional function of the harpsichord as basso continuo accompaniment increasingly giving way to a more dominant role. Here, the harpsichord proposes and develops much of the melodic material, and some of the pieces are introduced at length by the keyboard alone. Although these multi-movement works are recognizably galant by virtue of the smooth elegance and broad contours of their melodic material, Krebs’s contrapuntal tendencies are never too far from the surface and keep the pieces from veering into froth – a testament perhaps to his years of study with J.S. Bach.

Krebs exploits the possibilities of the full compass of the flute, the instrument sensually lingering in the lower reaches of its range quite often for the period in which it was composed. Ildiko Kertesz coaxes a sweet, rounded tone from his flute, and harpsichordist Geoffrey Thomas keeps textures crisp and transparent, and imparts great rhythmic verve to the more briskly paced movements.
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