Podcast
A Moment of Bach
Hosted by Alex & Christian Guebert · EN
Welcome to A Moment of Bach, where we take our favorite moments from J. S Bach's vast output—just a minute's worth or even a few seconds—and show you why we think they are remarkable. Join hosts Alex Guebert and Christian Guebert for weekly moments!
Check wherever podcasts are available and subscribe for upcoming episodes.
Our recording samples are provided by the Netherlands Bach Society. Their monumental All of Bach project (to perform and record all of the works of J. S. Bach) serves as source material for our episodes.
https://www.bachvereniging.nl/en
https://www.bachvereniging.nl/en/allofbach
Artwork by Sydney LaCom
12episodes
Episodes
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St. John Passion: ”Ich folge dir gleichfalls” aria
Apr 4, 2022Tap to summarizeA dark and imposing masterwork like the St. John Passion needs a moment of joyful reprieve. That reprieve comes in the form of the soprano aria ”Ich folge dir gleichfalls mit freudigen Schritten" (I too, follow you with joyful steps), in which we hear light flutes bouncing their steps. But even this happy sound comes with a strange chromatic ascent as the soloist sings "do not cease to push me, to pull me...". The St. John Passion is partly an instructive drama about how to follow Jesus; Peter must do his best at this despite his faults and denials. With this moment in this aria, we are dramatically pulled by Christ back into his own passion story. St. John Passion: ”Ich folge dir gleichfalls” aria as performed by the Netherlands Bach Society: https://youtu.be/zMf9XDQBAaI?t=1315
Transcribe →St. Matthew Passion: "Erbarme dich" aria (mvt. 39)
Jul 12, 2021Tap to summarizeOne of the most beloved arias of all time, "Erbarme dich" ("Have mercy on me") comes straight from the contrite heart of Peter, the disciple of Jesus, on Good Friday. After denying Christ three times, he realized his sin, and "went out and wept bitterly". The violin solo represents the anguish of Peter's soul at this moment. Bach scores the emotion here, just like a movie composer would. This is musical storytelling at its finest. Thank you to listener Molly for the suggestion! Hear "Erbarme dich" performed by the Netherlands Bach Society (Tim Mead, alto; Shunske Sato, violin solo; Jos van Veldhoven, conductor): https://youtu.be/ZwVW1ttVhuQ?t=5179 Other music from the St. Matthew Passion: "O Mensch, bewein" (played in the background near the end of the episode): https://youtu.be/ZwVW1ttVhuQ?t=3818
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