Johann Sebastian Bach

Hold off on the wrapping for one more weekend and melt into your seat as beloved WQXR personality Naomi Lewin hosts this annual Symphony Space holiday favorite. The Symphony Space All-Stars perform some of the world's most glorious music--all six Brandenburg Concertos of J.S. Bach. This is what the season's all about!

Brandenberg Concerto No. 4 in G major - Basically Brandenburg with the Symphony Space All-Stars 2011

Among Bach’s most beloved and celebrated works, his six Brandenburg Concertos demonstrate some of the most daring and innovative instrumental scoring in the entire Baroque repertoire. Whether the ground-breaking blend of hunting horns and oboes with strings of No. 1, the bright piccolo trumpet of No. 2 (which inspired Paul McCartney’s Penny Lane) or the remarkable No. 5 in which the harpsichord strikes out alone above the orchestra for virtuosic glory, this flawless collection of gems is pure delight.

CSO Program Note: Bach Brandenburg Concertos

Bach  Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 In F   Mov. 234  BWV1046

Johann Sebastian Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041

Thomas Gould, violin
Senesino Players

Johann Sebastian Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor: 1.

Johann Sebastian Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor: 2. Andante

Herbert Blomstedt speaks on conducting and recounts two entertaining episodes from the life and career of Fritz Reiner.

Herbert Blomstedt: On Conducting and Fritz Reiner

Performers: Civic Orchestra of Chicago (Christy Kim – flute, Gordon Daole-Wellman – bass clarinet, Wai Chi Tang – Percussion, Pei-yeh Tsai – piano, Maria Arrua – violin, and Nicky Swett – cello)

Program Notes:
Kindling is a reflection on the spontaneous, yet repetitive motion of fire. From the outset of the piece, the ricochet bowing of the cello and the steady pulse of the kick drum stoke the flame, while the violin flickers and flares in response. As the piece builds, a flurry of tremolos and natural harmonics are used to express motion that is both active and static. Eventually, the ensemble, led by the piano and strings, conjures a steady orange glow with a series of phrases that quickly appear and dissipate. The rapid alternations between these distinct phrases coalesce to form a continuous, burning texture.

Kindling for pierrot plus percussion

Founded in 1891, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of the greatest orchestras in the world. In collaboration with the best conductors and guest artists on the international music scene, the CSO performs well over one hundred concerts each year at its downtown home, Symphony Center, and at the Ravinia Festival on Chicago’s North Shore, where it is in residency each summer. Music lovers outside Chicago enjoy the sounds of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra through best-selling recordings and frequent sold-out tour performances in the United States and around the globe.

Visit cso.org for tickets and information.

CSO Program Note: Bach Brandenburg Concertos

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