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.
Resources consulted for production of The Bach Hour include many sites, books, and other media, but in particular, the following:
- program booklets of featured recordings, including those written by John Eliot Gardiner
- Emmanuel Music and Pamela Dellal
- The Cantatas of J.S. Bach, by Alfred Dürr
- Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician and Bach's Musical Universe, by Christoph Wolff
- Bach Cantatas Website
To hear Ryan Turner conduct Bach's Mass in B minor on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025, visit Emmanuel Music.
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On The Bach Hour, organist Olivier Latry harnesses the astonishing sonic resources of a remarkable instrument for the composer's music, and John Eliot Gardiner leads the Cantata No. 185. -
On The Bach Hour, Richard Egarr leads the Academy of Ancient Music in a vibrant account of one of Bach's most iconic works, and Boston's Emmanuel Music traverses the earthly and the divine in the composer's Cantata No. 2. -
On The Bach Hour, Masaaki Suzuki leads Bach Collegium Japan in the cantata that includes "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," and Lucas and Arthur Jussen are the soloists in an exuberant work for two pianos. -
On The Bach Hour, the power of water and its spiritual dimensions are at the heart of Bach's Cantata No. 7, led by John Eliot Gardiner, and harpist Catrin Finch performs the composer's Italian Concerto. -
On The Bach Hour, Riccardo Chailly and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra channel the best of modern and historically informed performance ideas into the composer's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. -
On The Bach Hour, bassist Edgar Meyer, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and mandolinist Chris Thile bring their distinctive musical voices to a Trio by Bach. -
On The Bach Hour, the enigmatic Canadian pianist dispatches one of Bach's greatest masterpieces in an interpretation for the ages. -
On The Bach Hour, the warmth and intimacy of the late Brazilian pianist's artistry illuminate the English Suite No. 3. -
On The Bach Hour, David Fray is the pianist in the composer's Partita No. 4, a piece that reflects the multiple roles Bach fulfilled on a daily basis. -
On The Bach Hour, a legendary instrument at Schlosskirche Altenburg - played when it was new by the composer himself - transmits an astonishing range of sonic color in the Passacaglia in C minor and Cantata 146.
