The fifth of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos represented a historic landmark. These “Concertos for Several Instruments”—collectively called the Brandenburgs after the works’ recipient, Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg—were formally radical in their expansion of the concerto grosso form as far as it could go, with wildly different results in terms of length, instrumentation, style, and compositional techniques used. 

The fifth, probably the last of the set to be composed, elevates the harpsichord, transplanting it from a continuo role to the concertino group of solo instruments. Bach elevates the instrument further still, with an elaborate, cadenza-like passage for solo harpsichord at the end of the first movement of the piece. Many see this piece as the first keyboard concerto accordingly.  

The second movement, Adagio affettuoso, is a soloists-only moment. The combination of flute, violin and harpsichord was a common one in the form of the trio sonata, but here, the harpsichord plays more of a soloistic role, contributing its own lines of woven counterpoint. In the lively finale, the harpsichord once again dominates, this time the solo episodes between the tremendously elaborate fugal writing. 

Hugh Morris 2024