This Week in Classical Music: March 15, 2021.Bach and more.We encounter this problem several times a year: a towering figure was born the week we’re covering; we feel that it would be impossible not to write about him (it’s invariably “him”) and in doing so we miss all other very interesting musicians who were also born around this time.Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday is on March 21st (he was born in 1685).Bach wrote a cantata a week for several years in a row; we feel that we could write an entry a week for several years, covering his life and music.But we’re trying to achieve a modicum of balance, so at the moment we’ll just play the very first cantata Bach composed as Thomaskantor in Leipzig in 1725 (fortunately, Bach was in the repertoire of other musicians we celebrate today).The cantata Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (How beautifully the morning star shines) has the BWV number of 1.Of course, it is not his first opus: Bach was 40 by then and had written a lot of music during his years in Weimar and Köthen (for example, the first volume of The Well-Tempered Clavier was composed in 1722).So here’s Cantata BWV 1, performed by the Bach-Ensemble under the direction of Helmuth Rilling.
March 21st also marks the 100th anniversary of Arthur Grumiaux, one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century.He was born in Villers-Perwin, not far from Charleroi, Belgium.At the age of 12 he went to the Brussels Conservatory.He made his debut right before the Germans invaded the country early in WWII.During the occupation he didn’t perform publicly; instead, he played in a private quartet.He resumed his career once the war was over, debuting in London in 1945 and later performing in the US.Grumiaux had a wide repertoire; his Mozart and Beethoven were highly praised; in Mozart he was often accompanied by Clara Haskil.He was especially good in Bach’s unaccompanied violin sonatas.Here, to celebrate both Bach and Grumiaux, is Bach’s Violin Sonata no. 1.The recording was made in Berlin in November of 1960.
Also on March 21st, in 1914, Paul Tortelier, a wonderful French cellist was born. His Bach was masterful: here is Bach Cello Suite No 2 in D minor, performed by Tortelier in 1982.
Finally, Sviatoslav Richter was born on March 20th of 1915.He was by far the most celebrated Soviet pianist with an incredibly broad repertoire.He was enigmatic, brooding, and full of idiosyncrasies.He was also gay, which made his position in the Soviet society especially uncomfortable.And he was a pianist of genius.His Schumann, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Beethoven were incomparable.And so were his interpretations of dozens of other composers: he once said that he could play 80 different solo programs.Here is his Bach: French Overture in B Minor.It was made late in Richter’s life, in 1991.
Bach and more, 20201
This Week in Classical Music: March 15, 2021. Bach and more. We encounter this problem several times a year: a towering figure was born the week we’re covering; we feel that it would be
impossible not to write about him (it’s invariably “him”) and in doing so we miss all other very interesting musicians who were also born around this time. Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday is on March 21st (he was born in 1685). Bach wrote a cantata a week for several years in a row; we feel that we could write an entry a week for several years, covering his life and music. But we’re trying to achieve a modicum of balance, so at the moment we’ll just play the very first cantata Bach composed as Thomaskantor in Leipzig in 1725 (fortunately, Bach was in the repertoire of other musicians we celebrate today). The cantata Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (How beautifully the morning star shines) has the BWV number of 1. Of course, it is not his first opus: Bach was 40 by then and had written a lot of music during his years in Weimar and Köthen (for example, the first volume of The Well-Tempered Clavier was composed in 1722). So here’s Cantata BWV 1, performed by the Bach-Ensemble under the direction of Helmuth Rilling.
March 21st also marks the 100th anniversary of Arthur Grumiaux, one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. He was born in Villers-Perwin, not far from Charleroi, Belgium. At the age of 12 he went to the Brussels Conservatory. He made his debut right before the Germans invaded the country early in WWII. During the occupation he didn’t perform publicly; instead, he played in a private quartet. He resumed his career once the war was over, debuting in London in 1945 and later performing in the US. Grumiaux had a wide repertoire; his Mozart and Beethoven were highly praised; in Mozart he was often accompanied by Clara Haskil. He was especially good in Bach’s unaccompanied violin sonatas. Here, to celebrate both Bach and Grumiaux, is Bach’s Violin Sonata no. 1. The recording was made in Berlin in November of 1960.
Also on March 21st, in 1914, Paul Tortelier, a wonderful French cellist was born. His Bach was masterful: here is Bach Cello Suite No 2 in D minor, performed by Tortelier in 1982.
Finally, Sviatoslav Richter was born on March 20th of 1915. He was by far the most celebrated Soviet pianist with an incredibly broad repertoire. He was enigmatic, brooding, and full of idiosyncrasies. He was also gay, which made his position in the Soviet society especially uncomfortable. And he was a pianist of genius. His Schumann, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Beethoven were incomparable. And so were his interpretations of dozens of other composers: he once said that he could play 80 different solo programs. Here is his Bach: French Overture in B Minor. It was made late in Richter’s life, in 1991.