On the program:
Violin Concerto in E, BWV 1042 - Gottfried von der Goltz, violin and director; Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227 (translation) - Monteverdi Choir, John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (selections) - Canadian Brass
TRANSCRIPT:
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The Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach is a work of beauty and complexity.
And in the midst of this exceedingly beautiful work of art, there's a light-hearted joke embedded deep within the music. Perfect, then, for the virtuoso playing of Canadian Brass.
Highlights from the Goldberg Variations with Canadian Brass are coming up on The Bach Hour.
Hello, I’m Brian McCreath; welcome to The Bach Hour from 99-5 WCRB, a part of WGBH. Since 1970, Canadian Brass has brought a dazzling brilliance and beautiful purity to music previously unexplored by brass instruments. You’ll hear how that plays out in Bach’s Goldberg Variations today. Also on the program, John Eliot Gardiner directs a motet by Bach, Jesu,meine Freude, or “Jesus, my joy.” You can find a translation of that piece when you visit us online at Classical WCRB dot org, where you can also hear this and past programs on-demand. Again, that’s at Classical WCRB dot org.
In Jesu, meine Freude you’ll hear the genius of Bach through the prism of belief. Here is another example of that genius, through a different prism, by simply having a good time on stage with fellow musicians. This is Bach’s Violin Concerto in E major, with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and soloist Gottfried von der Goltz.
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The Violin Concerto in E major by Bach, in a performance by Gottfried von der Goltz and the ensemble he leads, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.
I’m Brian McCreath, and you’re listening to The Bach Hour, from 99-5 WCRB, Classical Radio Boston.
Among all the different kinds of vocal works Bach wrote, the motet – a purely choral type of music, with no soloists – stands out as a form that connected him to the traditions that had been passed down through generations in his family. And he, in turn, continued the tradition by using them to teach his own children and students.
In Jesu, meine Freude, Bach alternates verses from a hymn of that name – “Jesus, my joy” – with words from Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, in a set of variations. Within those variations, Bach sets up what you might call a palindrome effect. In other words, the structure of the first half of the piece is same as the second half of the piece, but in reverse order, with a single movement at the center that acts as a pivot point. Thematic and musical connections link the movements on either side of that pivot point. For instance, the second movement expresses Paul’s description of those believers – third person – who are “in Christ.”
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But in the second to last movement, that idea is turned, like a spotlight, towards the listener, focusing on the “Spirit of Christ” who dwells “within you.”
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At the center of it all is a transformative fugue on the words, “You are not of the flesh … but of the Spirit.”
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You can find a complete translation of this piece at our website, Classical WCRB dot org.
Here is a performance of Jesu, meine Freude, with the Monteverdi Choir, directed by John Eliot Gardiner.
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In his notes for this recording, conductor John Eliot Gardiner writes, “If one wanted to pick a single example of how Bach chose to harness his compositional prowess and capacity for invention to articulate his zeal and faith, this would be it.” Jesu, meine Freude, a set of eleven chorale variations that make up one of the six surviving motets by J.S. Bach. John Eliot Gardiner conducted the Monteverdi Choir.
I’m Brian McCreath.
You can find more of The Bach Hour at our web site, Classical WCRB dot org. This and past programs are available for on-demand listening, and you can also find videos, links, and more resources to enable your own Bach explorations. Again, that’s all at Classical WCRB dot org.
If you believe the legend, it was an insomniac aristocrat we can thank for the Goldberg Variations. But while the vision of Count Keyserlink being entertained in the wee hours of the morning by harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg has been pretty thoroughly discredited, the fact is that that young namesake of Bach’s Aria and Variations did eventually become a great keyboard virtuoso.
The variety, virtuosity, and interpretive possibilities inherent in the Goldberg Variations have made the set, like so much of Bach’s keyboard music, an amazing resource for players of other instruments. The fact that Bach includes a good-natured a joke at the very end, a sort of wink from the composer, makes it a perfect choice for Canadian Brass, who themselves have been known for their own sense of humor for decades. I’ll fill you in on Bach’s joke, but first, here are selections the Goldberg Variations, with Canadian Brass.
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Selections from J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, in an arrangement by Arthur Frackenpohl that gives you a full sense of the artistry and virtuosity of Canadian Brass. And what about Bach’s joke at the end? The final variation of the set uses two songs, the first entitled “I have not been with you in a long time,” and the second: “Cabbage and turnips have driven me away.” The phrase “cabbage and turnips” was also an expression in Bach’s time meaning something like “a confused jumble.” So, some say that, by using those tunes the way he did, when he did, Bach is telling us that it was his own genius, displayed in the incredibly complex variations, that drove away the beauty of the aria, and that the time had come to return to the sound of simplicity and elegance.
Remember, you can hear this and past programs on-demand at Classical WCRB dot org.
Thank you for joining me today, and thanks also to audio engineer Antonio Oliart Ros. I’m Brian McCreath, and I’ll hope to have your company again next week here on The Bach Hour.