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Somewhere along the way I picked up a love for Bach. An actual, bona fide musical genius (and I’m not talking “Elton John is a genius” here) with a mathematical mind utterly married to a creative steamroller the likes the world has not known before or since, Bach is the only person in history whose very lifespan outlines and defines a musical era. Many musical historians peg the end of the Baroque era at July 28th, 1750, the date of Bach’s death.
So like I say, at some point I became a fan. Actually, I think Bach proves the existence of God or aliens or both. How else could the pinnacle of musical achievement have occurred over 250 years ago, and despite having the great JS Bach as inspiration (a luxury JS Bach did not have) such perfection has not been achieved since?
When I attended this concert at the National Arts Centre on June 7th, 2000 my Bach love was in it’s infancy. This was likely my first time hearing the Brandenburg Concerto outside of listening to tiny snippets in school. One of the great joys of attending an orchestra performance is closing your eyes and just letting the sound envelop you. Countless hours of collective practise, priceless instruments of prime vintages imposing some of the greatest frequency combinations on the air all around your body in a room built for exactly such a purpose…sometimes rock & roll can only come close.
There was also some Telemann on the program. I guess if it’s Baroque, don’t fix it.
Todd Man Out 