C.P.E. Bach’s Fantasia and sonatas in the hands of Terakado and Bonizzoni

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Fantasia in F-sharp minor Wq.80
Sonata in B-flat major for keyboard and violin Wq.77
Sonata in C minor for keyboard and violin Wq.78
Sonata in B minor for keyboard and violin Wq.76

Ryo Terakado violin
Fabio Bonizzoni harpsichord

Label: Challenge Classics, 2025
Available on all streaming platforms

By Damián Autorino
Editor at Moto Perpetuo

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s works for violin and harpsichord are often overshadowed by his father’s, but this recording brings them into vivid focus. Violinist Ryo Terakado and harpsichordist Fabio Bonizzoni—renowned specialists in Baroque repertoire—have previously explored J.S. Bach’s works for these same instruments. Here, they turn to the son’s music, offering a compelling perspective on its emotional and structural richness.

The album features three sonatas from 1763 (Wq.76–78) alongside the Fantasia in F-sharp minor Wq.80, one of C.P.E. Bach’s final works. In his booklet note, Terakado describes the Fantasia as a unique and deeply personal piece, whose subtitle, C.P.E. Bachs Empfindungen, reveals the composer’s state of mind near the end of his life. The violin plays a purely atmospheric role, supporting the keyboard without leading—an approach that, while not “modern” in a literal sense, is strikingly unconventional for its time, anticipating later ideas about instrumental color and emotional shading.

The duo’s decision to use a harpsichord rather than a fortepiano reinforces the transparency of the textures and the independence of the parts. As Terakado notes, C.P.E. Bach assigned “entirely different roles” to the instruments: the harpsichord is often virtuosic and restless, while the violin sings with restraint—or erupts in moments of sudden passion.

The result is both expressive and technically assured. The Fantasia receives a particularly emotional reading, while the Allegro di molto from the B-flat major sonata Wq.77 highlights the duo’s agility and precision in one of the most rapid and energetic movements of the set.