The Bach Hour

Sundays 6-7am, Mondays midnight-2am

Hosted by Brian McCreath

The virtually limitless well of music by J.S. Bach has always had a prominent place on radio airwaves in Boston. Whether it’s an iconic work like the Toccata and Fugue in D minor or a rarely heard but emotionally riveting church cantata, Bach’s music is a touchstone, returning listeners to a foundation on which so much subsequent music has been built.

Hear The Bach Hour each Sunday at 6am on 99.5 WCRB, as well as Mondays, midnight-2am. And listen on demand for two weeks after broadcast.

Bach's Mass in B Minor, with David Hoose

The conductor of Boston's Cantata Singers joins host Brian McCreath for an in-depth look at one of Bach's most enduring and fascinating works.

Bach's Easter Oratorio

Matthew Halls leads the Retrospect Ensemble and an stellar cast of soloists in music that captures the joy and the mystery of the Easter story on The Bach Hour.

Bach's Cantata 182, for Palm Sunday

On The Bach Hour, John Eliot Gardiner leads the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists in music that combines a bright invitation and a forboding preview of events to come.

Light and Hope in Bach's Cantata No. 1

On the program:

French Suite No. 6 in E, BWV 817 (arr. Feldmann) - Klaus and Rainer Feldmann, guitars

Cantata BWV 1 Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (translation) - Monika Mauch, soprano; Matthew White, countertenor; Charles Daniels, tenor; Stephan MacLeod, bass; Montreal Baroque, Eric Milnes, conductor

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G, BWV 1048 - Dunedin Consort, John Butt, director

TRANSCRIPT:

Savall and Bach's Offering

Jordi Savall — Hervé Pouyfourcat / Alliance Artist Management

On the program:

Adagio, from Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C, BWV 564 (arr. Stokowski) - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, José Serebrier, conductor

Cantata BWV 157 Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn (translation) - James Gilchrist, tenor; Klaus Mertens, bass; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir, Ton Koopman, conductor