Journal Entry: Exploring Bach

Review of London Bach Society's 3rd BACHFEST, for the BACH CLUB page, in their journal BACH NOTES. Sept 2011
500 words

Exploring Bach


2012 is the year baroque virtuoso Rodolfo Richter sets out to complete one of his life ambitions: to record all of Bach's output written for the violin. The audience of the third Bach Club meeting were present for a preview of what is to come at the Foundling museum, where we gathered to listen to Sonata's No 1, 2 and 4 for violin and harpsichord.

Like myself, Richter is convinced that Bach should be for everyone, for the young and old; for those who have grown up with the tradition, and for those who have arrived at Bach from other pathways. I wanted to find why Bach fires Richter's ambition, and what his love of Bach can tell us about the ways in which we can experience the composer.

“What makes Bach's music so enjoyable for me is the fact that it is unbelievably rich at so many levels”, Richter comments. It's true; we admire Bach for his tight technique, his astute balance of melody and counterpoint. For performers the complex inner workings of the composition provide provide an endlessly rich source for interpretation. But, as Richter implores “he's never academic, because even when he's obsessed with the complexity and rigidity of his own technical challenges; he knows when to break free.” Indeed, each note is always present, but it is the art of choosing which colours, tones and shapes to accentuate; the way one might turn a diamond to let it glimmer in the light.

Richter's performance encapsulated the equilibrium of this ordered, yet entirely expressive art; especially in the allegro movement of the first sonata. The music was exquisite. His nimble bow soared over the strings, spinning silken melody lines, effortlessly interlocking with the accompanying harpsichord counterpoint. The relationship between the two was precise, alive; instinctual.

When I asked him why it is important to help young people engage with Bach today, Richter replied that it is important to help them open up a new path of discovery. A discovery of both Bach's music, and a self-discovery. It is specifically the emotional and technical richness of Bach's music that enables such a deep exploration. As Richter says, “These different levels contain so many other layers, that one feels no one can't get to the bottom of it all in a lifetime.”

This sense of exploration and growth created a depth throughout Richter's performance. The emotional shading was that of one who has taken a journey with Bach, returning to the same music to nourish the different stages of his life; finding new meanings there and refining his interpretation. Each movement achieved a subtle profundity through its nuanced colouring. The opening siciliano largo of the more well-known Sonata no. 4 was especially poignant with its slow, careful dignity and tender expression; giving melodic lines their full expressive potential whilst implying a hint of reservation; never rushing ahead into their familiarity.

In the concert I was struck by the memory of a phrase a play-write friend recently expressed to me: “There's one story; you get that for free, but look again, and there's another, and if you give the time then you get something far bigger than the price you paid for admission.” Ultimately by offering tickets at reduced prices, the 18-30 Bach club offers young people a way of coming to know Bach, yet what they take away with them is their own decision.

It was wonderful to see the evening was brought to a close with wine, and an informal dispersal of people around the Foundling Museum, talking to one another about their experiences with Bach. A group of students set themselves up round the harpsichord to play and talk about certain passages and show off their keyboard skills. One of my friends listened with intrigue to one lady's description of a previous musical life she had led in Berlin. Others were admiring the extravagant architecture and curiously wandering to have a look at the paintings. For everyone involved, the evening acted as as a mirror for their own lives; different chords, melodies and interactions resonating in different ways for different people.

Journal Entry: LBS Bach Club Publication, Bach Notes

Article for London Bach Society's BACH CLUB page, in their journal BACH NOTES. Sept 2011
500 words

How should we promote Bach to people ages 18-30? What should London Bach Society's BACH CLUB be, and do, to communicate Bach's music to this audience? How can we help those already persuaded by Bach's music to take their interest to new heights, whilst also providing an introduction to those unfamiliar with or undecided about his work?

Whilst electronic composition classical composers such as Glass, Reich, Eno, Xenakis and Feldman receive a natural social platform in current society, Bach is a figure more isolated to contemporary life. Many young people come to minimalism through an experience of film scores, which provide an emotionally evocative platform for music similar to what they are listening to already in its tonality, chord progressions and repeated idioms. Others turn to electronic composers and the neo-modernists in an extension of their interest in experimental popular forms and concept albums.

Bach possesses less of these observable 'lead-ins' to his music through contemporary culture. Often, he is spoken of as being a 'cerebral' composer. The intricate part writing in his fugues are said to play themselves out with almost mathematical precision, the passion of his cantatas is ignored, and instead they are praised for their architecture, structure and form.

Yet words such as form and structure are misleading, mathematical terms, they can give the impression that Bach is to be understood in the same manner you would understand the workings of an engine. They are, understandably, an unnattractive and pressurised way to promote music, whose allure lies in the emotional reaction to sound as much as the sound itself.

So, for newcomers to Bach, it is important to realise that, it is possible to appreciate him just by listening, not thinking: the same way you would appreciate any other music. By moving, mentally and emotionally with each arching melody, each expected and unexpected chord change, each vigorous upbeat and poignant cadence you can open yourself to, and experience Bach. You may find your emotions amplified at specific points in the composition or you may decide Bach has nothing for you BUT the only way for this realisation to occur, is through experiencing it directly.

Thus: in November 2009, London Bach Society launched BACH CLUB, for those aged 18-30. All BACH CLUB events are free for students and a modest cost for others. From November onwards BACH CLUB meetings will happen twice a year, but, as we see the BACH CLUB grow members and develop interest, we hope to increase this to more.

The meetings are modelled on the weekly events Bach himself headed, in the city of Leipzig. At the forefront of artistic life, Bach and his students would use the time to discuss and perform new music, new ideas and new meanings. Likewise, BACH CLUB wants to push music into new areas. The meetings will not just favour seasoned performers but will introduce new interpretations of Bach's work by new performers and première works by new composers influenced by Bach. Over drinks it will also give artists a chance to talk about their work, offer audience members opportunity to ask questions, share thoughts and make useful contacts for future performances, concerts and careers. Whilst this will provide a cultural 'lead-in' for those who have had little experience of Bach (and this is where YOU come in to invite as many curious friends as you have BACH CLUB events) the social space the meetings create will allow everyone to pursue Bach to their own level.
Please seek us out on Facebook, Twitter, and on the London Bach Society website, and we hope to see you in November