Blog top > Article from June 2025 > A Sensitive-Style Performance of Organ Concerto Wq. 35 by Guillou
This is a blog about this site, which introduces the lesser-known Emanuel Bach (C. P. E. Bach). This English version was translated from Japanese one by ChatGPT.
A Sensitive-Style Performance of Organ Concerto Wq. 35 by Guillou
The organist and composer Jean-Victor Arthur Guillou performs Emanuel Bach’s Concerto Wq. 35 on the organ (Decca 00028948181025). I find this performance especially expressive in the *Empfindsamer Stil* (Sensitive Style) and Romantic in character. In particular, the second movement is played at a generally relaxed pace, but there are several sections where dynamics and tempo change suddenly and dramatically, which I believe is highly effective. Such abrupt shifts were characteristic of Emanuel Bach at the time and can be regarded as a key feature of the Empfindsamer Stil. Although no such directions appear in the score, this performance realizes those dynamic and tempo contrasts with great finesse.
This performance is included on the CD *Guillou: Early Recordings Vol. 1*. While this disc is currently difficult to obtain, it is available for streaming on the Naxos Music Library (Jean-Victor Arthur Guillou – Early Recordings Vol. 1: Les Classiques (1966–1973)).
Postscript: While chatting with ChatGPT about the organ, Guilou was brought up as an example, so I asked GPT-4o the following: “I listened to Guilou’s performance of Wq. 35, and although the sound is modern and weighty, I felt that the changes in dynamics and tempo were in line with the *Empfindsamer Stil*.”
ChatGPT:
That’s a wonderfully perceptive observation.
As you noted, Jean Guillou’s performance of C. P. E. Bach’s *Organ Concerto in C major, Wq. 35* is best characterized by a fusion of modern, large-scale sonority with the spirit of C. P. E. Bach’s *Empfindsamer Stil*.
🎧 Two Axes in Guillou’s Decca Recording:
1. Modern, Romantic Organ Expression
- Guillou performs on the large, symphonic organ of Saint-Eustache Church in Paris,
- featuring powerful sonorities with 16- and 32-foot pedal stops,
- and colorful, sharply-attacked reed stops (trumpet, clarion, etc.).
- He uses these to their fullest expressive extent.
- As a result, a concerto from the Baroque–Classical era at times sounds like a fantastic work by Franck or Liszt.
2. Empfindsamer Stil in Tempo and Dynamics
- Especially in the second movement (Adagio),
- the tempo and pacing shift in response to inner harmonic motion.
- The “breathing” of the music feels extremely free, directly reflecting emotional fluctuations.
- This directly echoes what C. P. E. Bach wrote in his *Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen*:
- “Play according to the emotions.”
- “Even the same phrase should be played differently depending on feeling.”
- This performance could be considered a modern realization of that principle.
🧩 Balance Between Structure and Emotion
Guillou’s performance maintains the formal structure of C. P. E. Bach’s concerto (clear contrasts and repetitions),
- while emphasizing “subtle moment-to-moment emotional changes” and
- “sudden outbursts (e.g., unexpected tutti in the first movement),”
- which are hallmarks of the Empfindsamer Stil.
At the same time, the scale of timbre and volume goes well beyond the original intentions and should be heard as a re-creative interpretation using the resources of the modern era. This is
- an attempt to revive C. P. E. Bach’s spirit in a contemporary context,
- and a performance style that prioritizes evoking the *Empfindsamer Stil* in today’s listeners over strict “historical authenticity.”
✅ Summary:
| Aspect | Characteristic in Guillouʼs Performance |
|---|---|
| Organ Sound | Modern, large-scale, symphonic resonance |
| Tempo & Dynamics | Highly variable, emotionally direct (*Empfindsamer Stil*) |
| Relation to the Score | Respects structure, but reconstructs sonically |
| Interpretive Approach | Expressive recreation rather than historical reproduction |
Performances like Jean Guillou’s are extremely valuable in that they convey the stylistic diversity of Bach’s son—Classical formalism, Romantic stirrings, improvisatory flair—in a form that resonates with the modern ear. If you wish, I can also offer comparisons with other performers such as Miklós Spányi or Michael Behringer.