Concerto in D minor BWV 1052R

For nearly 150 years Bach’s ever-popular Concerto in D minor for harpsichord (BWV 1052) has been regarded as a transcription of a much earlier violin concerto. Numerous published reconstructions of this ‘lost original’ have appeared, as well as many modern recordings. However, previous violin reconstructions have proved unsatisfactory from both a musicological and a violinistic standpoint, and some leading scholars have even doubted that the violin was the original solo instrument.

This latest reconstruction by late-Baroque specialist and violinist Fabrizio Ammetto, based on careful comparison of five surviving sources and close attention to the idiomatic solo writing (including full-length versions of the cadenzas for the outer movements), convincingly reaffirms the work’s status as a genuine violin concerto. The editor has added figured bass to the score for those who prefer to improvise a keyboard continuo, and the separate parts include a specimen cembalo realization.