Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier

Das Wohltemperiert Klavier, Fuga XII.

Sunday Music by J.S. Bach

J.S. Bach: Wohltemperiertes Klavier

Music to enjoy on a cold Sunday in January (or anytime):

 

 

Bach´s Sarabande from the Cello Suite nr 5

Music has a wonderful capacity to comfort and console. It is not
difficult to agree with the great Swedish film director Ingmar
Bergman, who once said:

"We are all living in our prisons, in our dreadful
loneliness, surrounded by cruelty. The gift that music bequeaths us is
to understand that there is a reality of infinite harmony beyond our
earthly exile."

J.S. Bach

The music of J.S. Bach seems to have played a particarly important
role for Bergman, both in his films and in his personal life. Ten of
Bergman´s films feature music of Bach, and in five of these films
Bergman uses a Bach Sarabande. In his last masterpiece, which he also
named Saraband, you can hear the sarabande from the Cello Suite nr 5
in C minor. Bergman also wanted this piece to be played at his
funeral.

Listen to Mischa Maisky play Bergman´s favorite sarabande:

PS
I chose to illustrate this post with a photo of the first snow in my neighbourhood this autumn

Bach´s Christmas Oratorio

Christmas is commercially present almost everywhere already at the time of my writing these words. If you feel a need to get away from all the hustle and bustle, I would like to recommend J.S. Bach´s glorious Christmas Oratorio. My own favourite version is the one by Eric Ericson,  the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir and the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble from 1993. The soloists in this live recording are all outstanding, among them the great Finnish mezzo/alto Monica Groop. Enjoy!

The Ericson recording is available e.g. here.


PS

If you would like to listen to more Bach by Monica Groop, I warmly recommend her CD with Bach cantatas.


Here is a sample from the CD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCSj0fu4sHs