So now Apple owns the beautiful, airy Suzuki/BCJ recordings! Let’s just hope it’s because someone there has good taste (I know you have another explanation).
On that subject, do listen to the mighty B Minor Mass - it’s like Bach’s own Greatest Hits compilation, decidedly not of the Sun Ra variety. Suzuki and Gardiner are characteristically brilliant, and there are plenty of other excellent recordings.
And I’ll venture to add on a couple of books that I learned a lot from: Evening in the Palace of Reason (by James Gaines, about his encounter with Frederick the Great), and The Cello Suites (by Eric Siblin, got me started on hundreds of hours of happy if slightly obsessive listening to the suites).
I've been just heart-deeply shocked to re-realize how much I love Bach's cantatas. I lost or misplaced my CD collection of the cantatas somewhere during hectic events having occurred to me one after another in the past fifteen years. There was a time when I listened to "Ich armer mensch..." and BWV106 Actus Tragicus literally everyday. Ton Koopman is my favorite conductor.
Dec 21, 2021·edited Dec 21, 2021Liked by Ted Gioia
Each Sunday, my husband plays the correct Bach (Gardiner) cantatas for the week according to the liturgical calendar. It took a while for him to figure out the schedule. He has been doing this for a few years and I now associate the different cantatas with different seasons of the year and always look forward to BWV 8 in October (my favorite).
Thanks for the enjoyable posting. I was making my way through the cantatas during the lockdowns using David Hurwitz' youtube videos under the series he calls the 'Bach Cantata Schlep" -- but that seems to be on hiatus after 6 fun postings. So I picked up the Operas of the Soul book you mentioned and plan to give it a go.
Great read! In regard to your Paul Simon/Bach mention, you should look into @bach2bachdjs on Instagram. They’re record collectors/DJs who specialize in classical music as interpreted through other genres (jazz, pop, etc.)
Very enjoyable read. Would it be possible to provide the listening list for Apple Music (or even Spotify, which I can then transfer over with SongShift.)
Yes, yes, yes to Bach! Ted - I want to pay you for a subscription. I've tried to send you money three times. Please get in touch with your administrator for The Honest Broker and make it so my transaction goes through. I find that you and I are kindred souls in music appreciation.
Wonderful! My wife and I completed a tour of Bach's cantatas a couple of months ago and it was a fantastic treat to listen to another one (or more) every day. We loved the videos from the Netherlands Bach Society and the Bachstiftung (a Swiss group), both of which are recording sumptuously high-quality versions of all the cantatas and making them freely available on YouTube. The soloists are great, as are the players and conductors. Anyone who likes the Brandenburgs will find dozens more "Brandenburgs" in the cantatas. Anyone who likes great singing of any genre will find superb performances. Everyone new to the cantatas is in for a huge (and perhaps life-changing) experience!
So now Apple owns the beautiful, airy Suzuki/BCJ recordings! Let’s just hope it’s because someone there has good taste (I know you have another explanation).
On that subject, do listen to the mighty B Minor Mass - it’s like Bach’s own Greatest Hits compilation, decidedly not of the Sun Ra variety. Suzuki and Gardiner are characteristically brilliant, and there are plenty of other excellent recordings.
And I’ll venture to add on a couple of books that I learned a lot from: Evening in the Palace of Reason (by James Gaines, about his encounter with Frederick the Great), and The Cello Suites (by Eric Siblin, got me started on hundreds of hours of happy if slightly obsessive listening to the suites).
I've been just heart-deeply shocked to re-realize how much I love Bach's cantatas. I lost or misplaced my CD collection of the cantatas somewhere during hectic events having occurred to me one after another in the past fifteen years. There was a time when I listened to "Ich armer mensch..." and BWV106 Actus Tragicus literally everyday. Ton Koopman is my favorite conductor.
Each Sunday, my husband plays the correct Bach (Gardiner) cantatas for the week according to the liturgical calendar. It took a while for him to figure out the schedule. He has been doing this for a few years and I now associate the different cantatas with different seasons of the year and always look forward to BWV 8 in October (my favorite).
During Lent we listen to his secular cantatas.
Thanks for the enjoyable posting. I was making my way through the cantatas during the lockdowns using David Hurwitz' youtube videos under the series he calls the 'Bach Cantata Schlep" -- but that seems to be on hiatus after 6 fun postings. So I picked up the Operas of the Soul book you mentioned and plan to give it a go.
Great read! In regard to your Paul Simon/Bach mention, you should look into @bach2bachdjs on Instagram. They’re record collectors/DJs who specialize in classical music as interpreted through other genres (jazz, pop, etc.)
Very enjoyable read. Would it be possible to provide the listening list for Apple Music (or even Spotify, which I can then transfer over with SongShift.)
Yes, yes, yes to Bach! Ted - I want to pay you for a subscription. I've tried to send you money three times. Please get in touch with your administrator for The Honest Broker and make it so my transaction goes through. I find that you and I are kindred souls in music appreciation.
Wonderful! My wife and I completed a tour of Bach's cantatas a couple of months ago and it was a fantastic treat to listen to another one (or more) every day. We loved the videos from the Netherlands Bach Society and the Bachstiftung (a Swiss group), both of which are recording sumptuously high-quality versions of all the cantatas and making them freely available on YouTube. The soloists are great, as are the players and conductors. Anyone who likes the Brandenburgs will find dozens more "Brandenburgs" in the cantatas. Anyone who likes great singing of any genre will find superb performances. Everyone new to the cantatas is in for a huge (and perhaps life-changing) experience!