I have often written about the universal nature of Bach’s music. Listening to his music seems to hold out the promise that order still exists in the world, and its joyousness reassures us that one day things will return to a semblance of normality. I have designed the 2020–21 season to provide the joy and reassurance that we all need, and to connect us when we cannot experience live concerts together.
Read MoreArtistic Director John Abberger and writer and concert host Rick Phillips dive into period performance practice: what is H.I.P, what does it mean, and why does it matter.
Read MoreFor our fifth anniversary celebration I had planned to end the festival with a performance of what has become perhaps Bach’s most iconic and famous work, the great Mass in B minor.
Read MoreOur third concert in the 2020 festival was one that we were particularly excited about: a presentation of all of the Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin.
Read MoreThe aim of the Toronto Bach Festival is to share the creative genius of the work of J.S. Bach, and to present his magnificent music to a diverse audience. We have always believed that the beauty of Bach’s music transcends differences among peoples and cultures.
Read MoreI will continue to lead you through the 2020 Toronto Bach Festival with a discussion of each of the concerts that had been planned, together with some suggested listening links to YouTube. This week we will take a brief look at the rich repertory of organ works, as we imagine the organ recital that John Butt was preparing for us.
Read MoreThis will be the first of several blog posts presenting the concerts of the 2020 festival to you with suggested recordings of the music we would have been performing. Today I’ll take you through the music in the opening concert.
Read MoreIt won’t surprise you to learn that Bach’s music is often running through my mind, or “playing in my head”. When we arrived at the painful decision to cancel the 2020 festival, I found the beautiful and poignant strains of Bach's chorale prelude An Wasserflüssen Babylon running through my head. They represent the pinnacle of his art in this fascinating form, and probably the pinnacle of the sophisticated use of this form (like so much of Bach’s music!) that has ever been known.
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