155 Days With Bach and Me

All Bach, All the Time…Everything Johann Composed

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Day Nine: Double Concertos (CD 1-9)

August 5th, 2011 · Adagio, Allegro, Allegro ma non tanto, Bach at 32, Bach at 50, Bach at 56, Back at 45, BWV 1043, BWV 1044, BWV 1055, BWV 1060, CD 1-9, Chamber Music, Double Concertos, Oboe, Oboe d'amore, Pizzicato, Violins

Bach Edition 9This CD, which contains Bach’s Double Concertos, features all of my favorite instruments (flute, violin, strings, and even harpsichord — played as a mood-setting accent) performing music that is truly remarkable. Not for its intricate or even frenzied contrapuntal complexities, but for its, well, pleasing-to-the-ear qualities. Bach’s Double Concertos (concertos for two solo instruments) are deceptively simple.

What these Double Concertos remind me of is chamber music, the kind of music played at hoidy-toidy gatherings of people who pat brie on crackers and sip expensive Chardonnay from crystal glasses. It’s very, very soothing (yet stimulating — which is weird) music that serves both as background for social gatherings and main event concerts with audiences actively watching and listening. Granted, Chamber Music didn’t come to fruition during Bach’s time (Hayden, 1732-1809, is considered the composer who fully explored Chamber Music). But this type of music, composed by Bach and played by select instruments instead of full orchestras, was [Read more →]

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Day Eight: Concertos For 2 & 3 Harpsichords (CD 1-8)

August 4th, 2011 · 1735, BWV 1061, BWV 1062, BWV 1063, BWV 1064, Byrds, CD 1-8, Concertos For 2 and 3 Harpsichords, Menno van Delft, Musica Amphion, Pedal Steel Greats, Pieter-Jan Belder

Bach Edition 8A couple of decades ago, a buddy of mine — who was into Country Rock (stuff like the Byrds, in their alt-Country Sweetheart of the Rodeo era, and various Country artists) — joked with me about an abhorrent instrument called the pedal steel guitar. I told him I really hated that sound. He said, “Then I know what I’ll get you for Christmas; an album called Pedal Steel Greats.”

To my knowledge, such an album doesn’t exist. (Thank God!) And the joke was there’s nothing “great” about pedal steel. To me, that would be like listening to Jack Hammer Greats. Or Fingernails On Chalkboard Greats.

So when I saw the title of today’s CD — Concertos For 2 & 3 Harpsichords — I immediately thought of Pedal Steel Greats.

It’s not that this music is played badly. On the contrary, the level of musicianship is remarkable. And it’s not that Bach screwed up creating music for an instrument that epitomizes the term “A little goes a long way.” It’s that, well, a little goes a long way. And after the first concerto, I’m tired. The Harpsichord, after five or six minutes, sounds like noise. It’s almost atonal to my ears. It’s fantastic for setting a mood (albeit a Renaissance/Baroque mood). But once that mood is set, I’m [Read more →]

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Day Seven: Harpsichord Concertos (CD 1-7)

August 3rd, 2011 · Armin Thalheim, Bach at 50, Bach at 57, Bach at 58, Bach at 59, Burkhard Glaetzner, BWV 1056, BWV 1057, BWV 1058, BWV 1060, BWV 1065, CD 1-7, Christine Schornsheim, Harpsichord, Harpsichord Concertos, Karel van Steenhoven, Mechtild Stark, Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum, Paul Leenhouts, Squire of Gothos, Star Trek, Violetta Liebsch

Bach Edition 7More “Squire of Gothos” music.

As I wrote in yesterday’s post, the harpsichord is an instantly recognizable instrument. As such, it’s likely you either love it or hate it. Very people probably hear the harpsichord and say, “Meh.”

Of the five compositions here, I liked Concerto for Harpsichord, 2 flutes, strings, and orchestra in F major (BWV 1057) the best, and that’s because it’s a re-arrangement of Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 (BWV 1049). This arrangement is very nice. I like the delicate interplay between the flutes and the other instruments. This is quite pleasant to listen to, and bears repeated listenings.

As with all of these Brilliant Classics CDs, the musicianship is superb, as are the recordings themselves.

Musicians singled out on the CD sleeve are: Christine Schornsheim and Armin Thalheim (BWV 1060, 1065), [Read more →]

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Day Six: Harpsichord Concertos (CD 1-6)

August 2nd, 2011 · 1738, 1740, 1741, 1742, Bach at 53, Bach at 55, Bach at 56, BWV 1052, BWV 1053, BWV 1054, BWV 1055, CD 1-6, Harpsichord Concertos, Squire of Gothos, Star Trek

Bach Edition 6The harpsichord is an instantly recognizable instrument.

Nothing on the planet sounds like one. And very few instruments are as quickly identified with their era as a harpsichord.

But therein lies both its strength and weakness.

Like the fuzz-guitar tone from the 1960s, a harpsichord cannot transcend its own era, which is the Renaissance and Baroque periods. So if you don’t like Renaissance or Baroque music, you probably don’t like the harpsichord.

That’s not likely to be a problem unless you’re the Highlander and you’ve been alive since the 1300s and you really hated the Baroque era. But some people prefer more modern-sounding instruments.

Me? I don’t have a preference other than I want my music to challenge me, to vary its tone and tempo. Harpsichord music is swell for the first five minutes. Then it bores me to tears. Besides, every time I hear the harpsichord I think of the episode from Star Trek called “The Squire of Gothos,” which was about an alien who captured the Enterprise and entertained them in his castle, occasionally playing the harpsichord just to show off. (Kirk put a halt to the squire’s shenanigans toot sweet.)

These are the compositions on this CD:
BWV 1052 – 1738 (Bach was 53)
BWV 1053 – 1741 (Bach was 56)
BWV 1054 – 1740 (Bach was 55)
BWV 1055 – 1742 (Bach was 57)

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Day Five: Violin Concertos (CD 1-5)

August 1st, 2011 · 1717, 1735, 1738, 1742, Allegro, Amsterdam Bach Soloists, Bach at 32, Bach at 50, Bach at 53, Bach at 57, Bach at 63, BWV 1041, BWV 1042, BWV 1052, BWV 1056, BWV 1064, CD 1-5, Emmy Verhey, Henk Rubingh, Rainer Kussmaul, Thomas Hengelbrock, Violin Concertos

Bach Edition 5Now this is more like it!

Next to Brandenburg Concertos, these Violin Concertos are my favorites so far. I realize I’ve only been listening for five days. But when I find something I like — really, really like — I have to make note of it.

So that’s what I’m doing — making note of it.

Violin Concerto in A minor (BWV 1041) features Dutch violinist Emmy Verhey. (In fact, Verhey plays on tracks 1-12 on this disc.) It’s a stirring performance, especially Allegro. Tracks 1-12 were recorded in 1992.

Tracks 13-15 feature Rainer Kussmaul, Henk Rubingh, and Thomas Hengelbrock conducting the Amsterdam Bach Soloists. These tracks were recorded in 1988.

My favorite tracks from this CD are the more up-tempo ones, the [Read more →]

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Day Four: Orchestral Suites 3 & 4 (CD 1-4)

July 31st, 2011 · Andrew Manze, Bach at 40-54, Baroque, Bouree, BWV 1068, BWV 1069, BWV 146, CD 1-4, Christoph Lehmann, Fugue, La Stravaganza Koln, Les Claypool, Orchestral Suites 3 and 4, Period Instruments, Primus, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Zero Hour

Bach Edition 4This CD sounds like a movie score to me, something like Erich Wolfgang Korngold would have written to add flair to an Errol Flynn swashbuckler. It is majestic and triumphant and boisterous.

I like it.

Of the two Orchestral Suites on this CD, I prefer Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, although I like the sprightly Bouree I & II from Orchestral Suite No. 4, and the rousing Rejouissance (track 11) from Orchestral Suite No. 4. Some people may say this type of music is busy. But I like music that’s intricate. That’s why I love progressive rock, even complicated and technical music like that performed by Zero Hour, a guitar-laden progressive metal band that boasts so many labyrinthine twists and turns that it’s virtually impossible go keep up. Yet, I enjoy it. Those guys are massively talented musicians.

Ditto for Primus, a bass-driven three-piece band that’s as avant-garde (some say just plain weird) as they come. But Primus plays [Read more →]

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Day Three: Orchestral Suites 1 & 2 (CD 1-3)

July 30th, 2011 · Andrew Manze, Bach at 40-54, Baroque, BWV 1066, BWV 1067, CD 1-3, Christoph Lehmann, Fugue, La Stravaganza Koln, Leipzig, Masahiro Arita, Mozart, Musica Amphion, Orchestral Suites 1 and 2, Period Instruments, Transverse Flute

Bach Edition 3When this CD began to play, my mind couldn’t find the melody in the music.

“Are we listening to an orchestra tuning up?” I asked my wife.

“I can hear a melody there,” she said. Of course, she’s a musician who plays the French horn. So her ears are probably sharper than mine.

Or maybe it’s that I’m used to Mozart’s simpler, prettier melodies. So when Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 1 started, it seemed like a lot was going on, more than I could discern (and appreciate) at first.

So I took control of the situation and got my head around what I could understand. According to the Wikipedia entry for Orchestral Suites (Bach),

The four Orchestral Suites or Ouvertures BWV 1066–1069 are a set of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, probably composed between 1725 and 1739 in Leipzig. The word overture refers to an opening movement in which a section of slow dotted-note rhythm is followed by a fugue; at the time, this name was also used to refer to a whole suite of dance-pieces in the French baroque style.

That I can understand. Bach was between 40 and 54 years of age, living in Leipzig, Germany. And these pieces of music contain fugues and are of the French baroque style.

Check.

That explains their “busy” sound.

These pieces of music were performed by La Stravaganza Koln on [Read more →]

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Day Two: Brandenburg Concertos 4-6 (CD 1-2)

July 29th, 2011 · Bach at 36, Baroque, Brandenburg Concertos 4-6, BWV 1049, BWV 1050, BWV 1051, CD 1-2, Christian Ludwig, French horns, Harpsichord, Margrave of Brandenburg, Musica Amphion, Period Instruments, Pieter-Jan Belder, Recorder, Recorder Home Page, Red Priest

Bach Edition 2What sounded harsh to my ears with CD 1 (Brandenburg Concertos 1-3) because of the period instruments now sounds exactly right. Perhaps I’ve gotten used to their tone. Or maybe I’m hearing these concertos as if for the first time because I’m used to listening to Sir Neville Marriner’s Academy of St. Martin in the Fields recordings of Brandenburg Concertos 1-3. Marriner’s version is warmer, richer, and more what I’m used to Classical music sounding like.

But I rarely venture into Concertos 4-6. So now, when I hear the Brilliant Classics performances, they sound fresh and fun, sort of like what I’d hear at a Renaissance Fare. I feel like roasting an ox, putting on my knee-high leather boots and puffy white shirt, grabbing a tankard of ale and a serving wench and going about my business.

That’s Baroque music for you. It brings out the swashbuckler in me.

Another difference between today’s CD and yesterday’s: the lack of French horns. Because my wife plays French horn, and because I’m a sucker for the tone and style of a French horn, I immediately noticed [Read more →]

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Day One: Brandenburg Concerts 1-3 (CD 1-1)

July 28th, 2011 · Bach at 36, Brandenburg Concertos 1-3, BWV 1046, BWV 1047, BWV 1048, CD 1-1, Christian Ludwig, French horns, Margrave of Brandenburg, Musica Amphion, Period Instruments, Pieter-Jan Belder

Bach Edition 1Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos 1-2-3 are probably among the 3-4 most-recognized classical recordings in the world, and are one of my personal top four pieces of classical music (after Mozart’s “Eine kleine Nachtmusik,” “Symphony No. 40 in G minor,” and “Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major”).

This Brilliant Classics version of the Brandenburg Concertos was recorded in 2006 by Musica Amphion, conducted by Pieter-Jan Belder. According to the Musica Amphion web site,

MUSICA AMPHION, founded in 1993 by harpsichord and recorder player Pieter-Jan Belder, is dedicated to the performance of orchestral and chamber music from the 17th and 18th century on original instruments.

The leader is violinst Rémy Baudet, concertmaster of the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century (led by Frans Brüggen). Musica Amphion draws its players from the ranks of prominent Baroque orchestras, including the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, the Nederlands Bachvereniging, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and the Academy of Ancient Music. Most of the musicians also enjoy a successful solo career.

Musica Amphion has appeared at the Early Music Festival Utrecht, the Festival Classique in The Hague, and the Bach Festival Amsterdam. Musica Amphion is regularly performing in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and has performed at other prominent venues world-wide.

Lest anyone think using period instruments has no appreciable affect on the sound of the recording, these performances of the Brandenburg Concerts will immediately dispel that notion. Because the Brandenburg Concertos are my favorite pieces by Bach, I have [Read more →]

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