Two unrelated videos — one of a concert, the other a documentary — provide wonderful, fresh insights on the genius of Johann Sebastian Bach. In John Eliot Gardiner’s words, they “find a soul and a beating heart underneath that wig” we see in paintings and statues.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
The first is of a moving recital this past Wednesday by the wonderful Artemis Quartet at the Louvre Auditorium in Paris. The middle of the programme is given over to Astor Piazzolla’s Suite del Angel, interspersed with transcriptions of pieces by J.S. Bach, starting with the opening section of the Art of the Fugue.
As improbable as this juxtaposition sounds, it works beautifully, shining favourable light on both Bach and Piazzolla. It’s like pairing a Riesling with a Roquefort sauce; magical things happen.
The recital begins and ends in passionately drawn interpretations of great works by Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Schubert.
The recital is streaming for free, in HD, on medici.tv here.
The second is an excellent new 90-minute BBC documentary, Bach: A Passionate Life, hosted and largely shaped by Gardiner, the great, engaging English conductor and Bach specialist.
The Artemis reveals Bach’s flesh and blood through musical juxtaposition alone, Gardiner does the same with carefully chosen words and musical clips that tell the composer’s full life story and the forces that shaped his music:
A big thanks to Stephanie Martin for pointing this documentary out.
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
