On the program:
Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E, BWV 1053: II. Siciliano - Beatrice Rana, piano and director, Amsterdam Sinfonietta
Cantata BWV 29 Wir danken dir, Gott (translation) - Deborah York soprano, Ingeborg Danz, alto, Mark Padmore, tenor, Peter Kooy, baritone, Collegium Vocale Gent, Phillipe Herreweghe, conductor
Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052 - Beatrice Rana, piano and director, Amsterdam Sinfonietta
In a conversation with host Brian McCreath, Beatrice Rana describes the origins of her deep relationship with Bach's music, as well as the collaborative nature of her recording with Amsterdam Sinfonietta:
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
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Beatrice Rana We look at Bach as a god, and in a way he is. But if we think of his life, his life was of such a simple man, a church man with a lot of kids and going to the church every day, he never left his region in Germany. And despite this, there is the whole universe in his music and that's why I always try to get back to Bach once in a while because for me it's necessary.
Brian McCreath Pianist Beatrice Rana grew up immersed in Bach’s music. Her father would unwind after work at the local opera house by playing Bach, and in her first public performance with an orchestra - at the age of nine - Rana herself played a Bach concerto. All of which proved to be the foundation for a recording of the composer’s concertos with Amsterdam Sinfonietta.
You’ll hear more from Beatrice Rana - in both words and music - coming up on The Bach Hour.
Hello, I’m Brian McCreath. Welcome to The Bach Hour from WCRB, Classical Radio Boston, a part of GBH Music. Beatrice Rana’s deep relationship with Bach’s music burst into the international sphere with a terrific 2017 release of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Then she went about building a major career with a huge range of repertoire, from Beethoven and Chopin to Ravel and Stravinsky. But when she returned to Bach and, specifically, the concertos, she brought all the qualities that made her Goldbergs so compelling, including nuanced finesse, subtle gradations of character, and peerless technique. You’ll hear her describe some of what went into the recording later on. Also in the program is Bach’s Cantata No. 29, Wir danken dir, Gott, or “We give you thanks, God.” And if you’d like to see a translation of that piece, just visit us online at Classical dot org, where you can also hear this program again on demand. Again, that’s a Classical dot org.
Before that, though, here is a short part of Beatrice Rana’s concerto recording. This is the Siciliano from the Keyboard Concerto No. 2. Beatrice Rana is both the soloist and director of Amsterdam Sinfonietta, here on The Bach Hour.
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Brian McCreath That’s the Siciliano from Bach’s Keyboard Concerto No. 2, with pianist Beatrice Rana and Amsterdam Sinfonietta. And you’ll hear more from Beatrice Rana later in the program.
I’m Brian McCreath, and you’re listening to The Bach Hour.
The inauguration of new government officials may not seem to us an occasion for a new piece of music. But along with composing cantatas for each Sunday on the church calendar, part of Bach’s job in Leipzig was to occasionally write similar works to celebrate the inauguration of new members of the Town Council. And in 1731, he produced a spectacular piece for that purpose, the Cantata No. 29, Wir danken dir, Gott, or We give you thanks, God.
For the beginning of the piece, to set a tone of both exuberance and solemnity, Bach took an earlier piece for solo violin…
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…and, lowering the key just a bit, transformed it into a festive organ solo.
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Next, Bach set words from Psalm 75 - “We give you thanks, God” - in a choral movement that would later be part of his Mass in B minor.
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The piece then takes an inward turn, as a solo violin plays along with the tenor soloist as he sings, “Hallelujah, power and might be the names of the Most High.”
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The soprano soloist zeros in on the theme of inaugurating civic leaders with the words, “Bless those who rule us, who lead, protect, and guide us.”
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And then the alto soloist returns to the same words sung earlier by the tenor, “Hallelujah, power and might be the names of the Most High,” but now with more spirited verve, and instead of a violin, accompanied by the organ.
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Remember, you’ll find a translation of this piece from Emmanuel Music when you start at Classical dot org.
Here is the Cantata No. 29, in a performance by Collegium Vocale of Ghent, with soprano Deborah York, alto Ingeborg Danz, tenor Mark Padmore, and bass Peter Kooy, all led by Philippe Herreweghe, here on The Bach Hour.
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Brian McCreath The Cantata No. 29 by Bach, Wir danken dir, Gott, or We give you thanks, God. Philippe Herreweghe led Collegium Vocale of Ghent, with soprano Deborah York, alto Ingeborg Danz, tenor Mark Padmore, and bass Peter Kooy.
Pianist Beatrice Rana is known around the world for performing big concertos by composers like Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. But while growing up in southern Italy, far from the country’s major musical centers, it was Bach’s music that captured her attention. When she visited Boston to perform a concert presented by Celebrity Series of Boston, she described her memories of hearing this music as a young child from a very personal source.
Beatrice Rana I think that in every family there is a personal language, and I was born in a pianist's family. Both my parents are pianists, and my father is an opera choir répétiteur, so he works with a lot of singers, and Verdi and Puccini and, you know, it's a south Italian opera theater so there is a lot of you know Italian bel canto. And he loves that, but I always remember that after every production, the day after, he needed to kind of clean his soul and his ears, and he would spend the day playing Bach. So, for me, that has been always part of the family routine, this Bach process. And myself, as a young pianist, I was very much attracted by Bach. And that's why when I was young, I was really practicing so much Bach. My teacher was desperate because he was like, "It's okay, Bach, but we need to do also other stuff." [laughs] And so that's why I always felt this personality very close. Also because, you know, we look at Bach as a god, and in a way he is. But if we think of his life, his life was of such a simple man, a church man with a lot of kids. And going to the church every day, he never left his region in Germany, not even, you know, there were other composers traveling all around Europe, but he never left there, so he had such a simple life. And despite this, there is the whole universe in his music. And that's what attracted me immensely. And that's why I always try to get back to Bach once in a while, because for me it's necessary.
Brian McCreath Beatrice Rana writes about that feeling of resonance between Bach’s family life and her own for her recording of Bach’s concertos, works that were originally written for the harpsichord and that she recorded on the modern piano with Amsterdam Sinfonietta. She’s credited not only as the soloist, but also as the director of the ensemble for this release. But she makes sure to emphasize that, in practice, this was a very collaborative project.
Beatrice Rana Well, I have to say that I was very, very lucky to make this recording with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. This orchestra is absolutely amazing, and I liked very much the democracy of this orchestra. Everyone could suggest an idea. And that's why I think that there is this special vibe in the performance. Also, this performance was made at the end of a very long tour, where we could really get to know each other and experiment. And so this allowed me to be enriched by the others, which I find is so beautiful.
Brian McCreath And you can hear more of my conversation with Beatrice Rana when you visit us online at Classical dot org. Here is Beatrice Rana and Amsterdam Sinfonietta with Bach’s Keyboard Concerto No. 1, here on The Bach Hour.
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J.S. Bach’s Keyboard Concerto No. 1, in a 2025 release by pianist Beatrice Rana and Amsterdam Sinfonietta. And you can hear a conversation with Beatrice Rana about this recording and the role Bach’s music plays in her artistic life when you visit us at Classical dot org.
Thank you for joining me today, and thanks also to Celebrity Series of Boston for arranging the interview with Beatrice Rana, and 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.