Evan, I have to say this idea is ingenious. "Do you like this? Then try that." Brilliant.
TL; DR - I went right into Bach, concertos, organ works, and all.
10 years ago, I moved into my first studio apartment and found noise from neighbors incessant and distracting. As I worked on Some Projects Which Shall Not Be Named, I decided to turn on music to block it out. But music with more words distracted me, so I went onto YouTube & the like to seek suitable background classical music. I walked away with so much more. Shortly thereafter, I bought some CDs secondhand at thrift stores, including "Best of the Baroques", which of course also included Bach. I started listening compulsively, even at work. Eventually, Bach's set of Brandenburg Concertos became my standard set of "thinking pieces" as well as a personal favorites in the whole repertoire. (I can't wait for Evan's writeup on these). A video compilation of Bach's solo organ works from 537-565 got me hooked, and I realized almost instantly I just love the organ. (I'll take Saint-Saens symphony 3 any day!).
To this day, I'm still an amateur listener with little to no actual musical knowledge. Everything has been unfolding slowly, from realizing, Wait, there are different movements in a concerto? - to understanding keys and sonata form etc. I don't know most of the time what I'm hearing. I just listen and wait for the emotions to wash over me like a tsunami. Sometimes there's more 'washing' than others: Bach, Mozart, Dvorak, Schubert - Niagra; Chopin, R. Strauss, Debussy - not as much. Still, I've enjoyed works by a variety of composers, from Bach to Bartok, Vivaldi to Verdi, and many others in between. But I always find my way back to Bach.
Bach was always on regular rotation in my house when I was growing up. My parents had very eclectic tastes in music, from flamenco and blues, jazz to middle eastern and more. But classical was always in the mix. When I was about 10, my parents took me and my brother to see what was billed as 'Midnight Bach' at Avery Fisher Hall. The program was all 6 Brandenburg concertos. That made me fall in love with Bach, and I've never stopped. I adhere to the concept of 'no day without Bach'.
Great story. My dad collected a lot of music but didn't listen to it much in the house, strangely. In high school, it was the classic rock radio station, Beatles, Steely Dan, the Flecktones, and Dave Matthews Band as core listening. When I picked up the classical guitar, many worlds opened.
A friend of mine once said, "A day without Bach is a day without sunshine."
As a '74 baby "Switched On Bach" was my intro and it hit me hard! I still love hearing those warbly synths. Later the WKCR holiday Bach festivals massively expanded my scope, especially Johnny Reinhard's "Microtonal Bach" specials which got me really interested in historic tunings and all the hair-raising vibrance that comes with unequal temperament. (On Loussier: "I do not recommend this music" LOL!)
Great piece, and I must echo others that I, too, am really enjoying your series.
My entries into Bach: Glenn Gould, Pablo Casals, Julian Bream, Yehudi Menuhin.
These days I most frequently listen to interpretations by Sviatoslav Richter and Martha Argerich. I guess my listening has become a little piano-centric.
I learned violin with the Suzuki books, and the Bach pieces there got my attention from the start! Brandendburg Concerto #3 in high school, every cassette and vinyl record I could find at my public library. I always searched for the "best", and with Bach my search stopped.
Evan, I have to say this idea is ingenious. "Do you like this? Then try that." Brilliant.
TL; DR - I went right into Bach, concertos, organ works, and all.
10 years ago, I moved into my first studio apartment and found noise from neighbors incessant and distracting. As I worked on Some Projects Which Shall Not Be Named, I decided to turn on music to block it out. But music with more words distracted me, so I went onto YouTube & the like to seek suitable background classical music. I walked away with so much more. Shortly thereafter, I bought some CDs secondhand at thrift stores, including "Best of the Baroques", which of course also included Bach. I started listening compulsively, even at work. Eventually, Bach's set of Brandenburg Concertos became my standard set of "thinking pieces" as well as a personal favorites in the whole repertoire. (I can't wait for Evan's writeup on these). A video compilation of Bach's solo organ works from 537-565 got me hooked, and I realized almost instantly I just love the organ. (I'll take Saint-Saens symphony 3 any day!).
To this day, I'm still an amateur listener with little to no actual musical knowledge. Everything has been unfolding slowly, from realizing, Wait, there are different movements in a concerto? - to understanding keys and sonata form etc. I don't know most of the time what I'm hearing. I just listen and wait for the emotions to wash over me like a tsunami. Sometimes there's more 'washing' than others: Bach, Mozart, Dvorak, Schubert - Niagra; Chopin, R. Strauss, Debussy - not as much. Still, I've enjoyed works by a variety of composers, from Bach to Bartok, Vivaldi to Verdi, and many others in between. But I always find my way back to Bach.
You know more about music than you think you do! Thanks for this — a great story.
Brandenburgs will be a fun write up for sure.
Bach was always on regular rotation in my house when I was growing up. My parents had very eclectic tastes in music, from flamenco and blues, jazz to middle eastern and more. But classical was always in the mix. When I was about 10, my parents took me and my brother to see what was billed as 'Midnight Bach' at Avery Fisher Hall. The program was all 6 Brandenburg concertos. That made me fall in love with Bach, and I've never stopped. I adhere to the concept of 'no day without Bach'.
Great story. My dad collected a lot of music but didn't listen to it much in the house, strangely. In high school, it was the classic rock radio station, Beatles, Steely Dan, the Flecktones, and Dave Matthews Band as core listening. When I picked up the classical guitar, many worlds opened.
A friend of mine once said, "A day without Bach is a day without sunshine."
As a '74 baby "Switched On Bach" was my intro and it hit me hard! I still love hearing those warbly synths. Later the WKCR holiday Bach festivals massively expanded my scope, especially Johnny Reinhard's "Microtonal Bach" specials which got me really interested in historic tunings and all the hair-raising vibrance that comes with unequal temperament. (On Loussier: "I do not recommend this music" LOL!)
My dad had that Switched On Bach record.
Love the annual WKCR Bachfest! A highlight of the last week of every year.
Great piece, and I must echo others that I, too, am really enjoying your series.
My entries into Bach: Glenn Gould, Pablo Casals, Julian Bream, Yehudi Menuhin.
These days I most frequently listen to interpretations by Sviatoslav Richter and Martha Argerich. I guess my listening has become a little piano-centric.
Al — I like all of your choices! Bream is an underrated hero.
Thanks for the nice words and for reading!
I learned violin with the Suzuki books, and the Bach pieces there got my attention from the start! Brandendburg Concerto #3 in high school, every cassette and vinyl record I could find at my public library. I always searched for the "best", and with Bach my search stopped.
I’m enjoying this series!
Interesting question. Bach never really sent me until I heard the Netherlands Bach Society a few years ago, and that was my way in.
Their YouTube channel is a treasure
❣️🤗
Love the Vikingur
So easy to love
Aqui ainda
Delicioso tudo isso
Este André que não ouvia há tempos
Agradecida por me relembrar 💕
Que delicioso este post
Quero mais sempre
Sempre dizia para minha mãe que ela era da cor da suíte número um de Yo-Yo Ma
E há dois dias entendi que ainda estou em luto pela morte da minha mãe
Mesmo tendo amenizado já
Quando eu falo sobre ela minha garganta trava e sinto uma dor enorme nas pregas vocais
Sinto muito - ainda estou de luto pela minha mãe que morreu há 15 anos
Tinha ouvido que tua mãe era viva
Me confundi então
E que ela é uma sogra desafiadora, mas que colabora muito
Eu falo sempre com tua mãe no astral enquanto ela dorme
Peço licença para trocar com a tua energia
Ela sempre me permite