Although we previously discussed, at length, the progress of the Historically Informed Performance (HIP) movement from the pioneering days of the 1970s, there is one period instrument we haven’t discussed: the […]
The Male Voice and Bach
Bach Today
Our Bach Today series combines artist interviews, articles, and world premiere performances that focus on Bach’s lasting presence in our musical lives today.
Musical Offering
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Pioneers and Heroes: Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Max van Egmond, and Frans Brüggen
I invite you to join me on a trip down memory lane. What were you listening to in the 70s? If some of you were not even born, not to […]
Reconstructing the Lost St. Mark Passion
According to Bach’s necrology (obituary), published four years after his death, he composed five great Passion settings. Only two of them have survived in full: the fabulous St. John and […]
Serenity in the Goldberg Variations
This selection is from an arrangement of the Goldberg Variations I made in 1996-1997 for the orchestra I founded in Québec, Les Violons du Roy. It was recorded at the […]
“Bist du bei mir,” an iconic love song
The two “Little Notebooks for Anna Magdalena Bach” provide a rare window on the domestic life of the Bach family. Although the title page for each book was written by Anna Magdalena […]
Bach’s Genius In His Early 20’s: The Cantata “Actus tragicus”
Considering the influence of Bach’s musical hero Buxtehude, let us focus our attention on one of Bach’s very first cantatas, known as the “Actus tragicus”. While there is much speculation […]
Buxtehude’s Influence on Bach
I have always had a lot of affection for Bach’s early works, in particular his first church cantatas. We cannot understand this music without delving into the legacy of his […]
St. John Passion: “Zerfliesse, mein Herze”
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Amanda Forsythe’s Favorite Bach
Written by Amanda Forsythe My 2020 schedule had been very busy, when, like the rest of the world, I suddenly found myself housebound. I have two sons, and two cats, […]