Bach: A Beautiful Mind
There’s no one way to approach an artistic personality as unbounded as J S Bach’s. This weekend, some of our era’s liveliest musical minds engage with his genius – without compromise.
Dive into Bach's inner life over these three concerts. Explore the genius with Mahan Esfahani and author James Gaines, in the astonishing story of Frederick the Great and The Musical Offering. Meet the craftsman as Accademia Bizantina perform one his greatest masterpieces, The Art of Fugue. And discover the devout Christian, as the Academy of Ancient Music and Benjamin Appl present Bach’s transcendental vocal writing in a selection of sacred solo cantatas.
Events
Evening in the Palace of Reason: The Musical Offering
May 1747: Frederick the Great, philosopher-king of Prussia, meets composer Johann Sebastian Bach – and challenges him to an unwinnable musical duel. Bach’s Musical Offering is the astonishing result.
The Art of Fugue: Bach the Craftsman
Bach meant The Art of Fugue to be the pinnacle of his life’s work, and even incomplete, it’s still an unparalleled feat of imagination, intelligence and sheer joy in the act of creation.
Solo Cantatas: Bach and the Divine
Benjamin Appl and the Academy of Ancient Music create an evening that’s both a musical self-portrait of and a deeply moving homage to this most timeless of all composers.
