J.S. Bach

The Philadelphia Orchestra In Concert On WRTI: An All-Bach Broadcast!

Gregg Whiteside — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:13:19 +0000

Bach specialist Nicholas McGegan conducts The Philadelphia Orchestra this Sunday, May 19th, 2 to 4 pm, in an all-Bach concert - bringing a special touch to the Orchestra, and throwing the spotlight on several Philadelphia Orchestra soloists.

Concertmaster David Kim, Principal Oboist Richard Woodhams, Principal Horn Jennifer Montone, and Principal Flute Jeffrey Khaner are just some of the stellar players of the Orchestra who will play major roles in a program including:

Good Friday on WRTI: Bach's St. Matthew Passion

Jack Moore — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:35:07 +0000

Listen to our annual broadcast of Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 on Good Friday, March 29th, a few minutes after 12 noon.

The recording features Karl Richter conducting the Munich Bach Orchestra, Munich Bach Choir, and Regensburg Cathedral Choir. Edith Mathis (Soprano), Dame Janet Baker (Mezzo Soprano), Peter Schreier (Tenor), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Baritone), and Matti Salminen (Bass).

Happy Easter from WRTI!

The Monumental St. Matthew Passion: Bach in Philadelphia

Susan Lewis — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 23:36:23 +0000

For the first time in almost 30 years, The Philadelphia Orchestra is performing Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. The monumental oratorio fell into obscurity for decades after Bach's death in 1750. Composer Felix Mendelssohn's production of the work in 1829 helped spark the modern Bach revival. Susan Lewis considers Bach’s life and work.

On March 28th through 30th, The Philadelphia Orchestra performs the uncut Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, with costumes and dramatic lighting at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

Preparing The Chorus For A Master Work

Jim Cotter — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 23:18:36 +0000

Music lives at Westminster Choir College at Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey. As WRTI's Jim Cotter reports, the college's Westminster Symphonic Choir has, for almost 90 years, been performing with the world's foremost orchestras under some legendary conductors, including Leopold Stokowski, Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Pierre Boulez, Robert Shaw, Kurt Masur and on and on.

Joe Miller is professor of conducting and chair of conducting for organ and sacred music at Westminster Choir College. This week, his Westminster Symphonic Choir performs Bach’s St Mathew Passion with The Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nezet-Seguin, a Westminster Alum.

http://youtu.be/zYHRbAJu1dg

J. S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio in Six Parts on WRTI

Jack Moore — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 15:41:53 +0000

Hear the complete Christmas Oratorio of Johann Sebastian Bach between December 25th and January 12th. The first part describes the birth of Jesus, the second the annunciation to the shepherds, the third the adoration of the shepherds, the fourth the naming of Jesus, the fifth (for the first Sunday after New Year) the journey of the Magi, and the sixth (for Epiphany) the adoration of the Magi.

Listen to the work's six parts on December 25th, 26th, 27th and January 1st at 3 pm, and on Saturday, January 5th, and Saturday, January 12th at 10 am.

Avi Avital: A Mandolinist's Unlikely Education

NPR Music — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:24:00 +0000

Avi Avital is one of the world's leading classical mandolinists, gracing concert halls from Tel Aviv to Munich to New York. But the young Israeli says he discovered the mandolin only by coincidence.

"When I was a kid, I had a neighbor who played the mandolin — the neighbor from upstairs," Avital tells NPR's Guy Raz. "It was one of those buildings where all the doors are open and all the neighbors are friends and more close than relatives.

'St. Matthew Passion:' A Monumental Bach Feast

Lloyd Schwartz — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:51:00 +0000

Facing Bach's St. Matthew Passion, I often feel a combination of anticipation and dread. It's a great work, profound in its humanity and spirituality, with sublimely beautiful music. But it's a long haul, and if it's not a good performance, well, I'm stuck. And it can be not-good in various ways: either too solemnly pious or too much an exercise in musical style rather than emotional drama. A new DVD recorded in 2010 at Berlin's great concert hall, the Philharmonie, would be of major interest under any circumstances.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): A Look at His Life and Legacy

Susan Lewis — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:55:58 +0000

WRTI's Susan Lewis profiles the Master of Baroque! The great German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist J. S. Bach's birthday is March 21st. The Bach Festival of Philadelphia is March 30th to April 1st at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Rittenhouse Square.

Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers

Jill Pasternak — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 21:07:00 +0000

Join Jill Pasternak as she interviews Anne Akiko Meyers. The violinist's new CD with the English Chamber Orchestra, Air: The Bach Album, features the A minor & E Major Concerti plus the Double Concerto. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Albums Chart.

More about Anne Akiko Meyers

Latin Band Tiempo Libre

Jill Pasternak — Sat, 02 May 2009 16:07:00 +0000

Two-time Grammy-nominated Tiempo Libre is one the hottest young Latin bands today. Equally at home in concert halls, jazz clubs and dance venues, the members of the Miami-based band are true modern heirs to the rich tradition of the music of their native Cuba.

Tiempo Libre's members were all classically trained at La ENA, Cuba's premiere conservatory during a time when it was illegal to listen to American songs on the radio. Now, the group is a hit in the U.S. and abroad, celebrated for its incendiary, joyful performances of timba, an irresistible, dance-inducing mix of high-voltage Latin jazz and the seductive rhythms of son.