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.

Faust Plays Bach's Third Partita

On The Bach Hour, one of the composer's most vibrant works comes alive in the hands of violinist Isabelle Faust, and Sigiswald Kuijken conducts the luminous Cantata No. 180.

Bach's 5th Brandenburg, with Bezuidenhout

One of today's most vibrant harpsichordists is a soloist in a concert performance from the Boston Early Music Festival, and John Eliot Gardiner leads the Cantata No. 5 on The Bach Hour.

Bach's Partita No. 4, from Benjamin Grosvenor

On The Bach Hour, in a performance described as having "drama," "vitality," and "swagger," the British pianist performs of the composer's Fourth Partita, and Ton Koopman directs the Cantata No. 96.

The Brilliance of Bach's Double

Two Violins — Leander Arkenau / CC BY-SA 2.0

On the program:

Prelude and Fugue in D minor, BWV 539 (trans. Alexander Goedicke) - Hamish Milne, piano

Cantata BWV 47 Wer sich selbst erhöhet, der soll erniedriget werden (translation) - Sandrine Piau, soprano; Klaus Mertens, bass; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir, Ton Koopman, conductor

Concerto in D minor for two violins, BWV 1043 - Petra Müllejans and Gottfried von der Goltz, violins; Freiburg Baroque Orchestra

St. Michael's Battle, through Bach's Music

On the program:

English Suite No. 1 in A, BWV 806 - Murray Perahia, piano

Cantata BWV 130 Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir (translation) - Malin Hartelius, soprano; James Gilchrist, tenor; Peter Harvey, bass; Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner, conductor

Italian Concerto, BWV 971 (arr. Greg Steinke) - Corona Guitar Quartet