by Rebecca Cochran
 
You may recall that one of my goals for “My Year of Bach” is simply to enjoy myself. On that note (pun intended!), I cannot help but share a unique performance of the Badinerie from Bach’s Suite No. 2 in B minor. Read more about the four orchestral suites or ouvertures here.
 
The original instrumentation, of course, is for solo transverse flute and strings. As you’ll see, these guys, Ariel Zuckermann and Eyal Ein-Habar have altered Bach’s instrumentation slightly.

​Surely, Bach would approve. After all, Badinerie is French for “jesting.” Enjoy this unique rendition here!

by Rebecca Cochran
 
Cantata 36, Schwingt freudig euch empor (Soar joyfully upwards), is another interesting example of Bach “stealing from himself.” Parts of this sacred cantata are based on music he used in a secular work he had composed in 1725 to mark the birthday of a Leipzig University teacher. Supposedly, there were several other extractions, combinations and modifications before Bach completely reworked the cantata for its first performance in 1731, just one week after the first performance of the popular Cantata 140, Sleepers Awake. The result is stunning.
 
I chanced upon this cantata when I discovered the J.S. Bach Foundation. Based in St. Gallen, Switzerland, under the artistic direction of Rudolf Lutz, the Foundation has set out to perform, and release on DVD, the complete vocal works of Bach over the course of 25 years.
 
The final aria of Cantata 36, scored for soprano and con sordino (muted) violin is sublimely beautiful. The J.S. Bach Foundation performance with soloists Nuria Rial (soprano) and John Holloway (violin) is otherworldly. Have a listen here.

by Rebecca Cochran
 
I count myself lucky that Bach wrote so many marvelous works for flute: his Partita in A minor for solo flute, the six Sonatas for flute and keyboard, two Trio Sonatas, numerous cantata movements which feature flute, plus the Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor for flute, strings and continuo. Bach also gave us flutists prominent parts in three of the six Brandenburg Concertos and he adapted some of his previous writings into a “Triple Concerto” for flute, violin and harpsichord.
 
Even with all of these Bach gems available to me, I am constantly stealing other of his works and trying them out for myself. For instance, I enjoy working on the Aria from the Goldberg Variations and other keyboard lines such as the treble voice from his two-part Invention No, 8 in F major, and the Bourrée I and II from the English Suite No. 2 in A minor.
 
These works are beautiful, challenging and fun to work on. I’m sure Bach would approve of the thievery that runs rampant amongst all of us devotees. After all, he was in the habit of stealing from himself regularly. Bach was a master at repurposing his own content in fresh, new ways. 
 
A review in The New York Times caught my eye last summer. Rachel Podger, the foremost Baroque violinist, chose to open her recital at the Baryshnikov Arts Center with the Partita in A minor for solo flute, transposed into the key of G minor. (I wish I'd been there.) When it comes to Bach, Ms. Podger told the audience, “You can’t get enough.” I couldn't agree more.

by Rebecca Cochran
 
Yep, you’re right –- I’m not qualified to write about the Chaconne. I’m a flutist, not a violinist. The Chaconne, of course, is the final movement of Bach’s Partita in D minor for solo violin.
 
Supposedly, Bach wrote the Chaconne in memory of his first wife, after he returned from a trip to discover that she had died. Perhaps that explains why, whenever I have had the pleasure of hearing this monumental work, especially live, it conjures up every possible emotion I am capable of feeling.
 
The Chaconne is a good example of the universality of Bach’s music. Loved and considered a challenge by all serious musicians, there are transcriptions of the movement for cello, for flute, for marimba, for guitar, for piano, for organ and probably every other solo instrument. There are also a number of orchestral transcriptions of the Chaconne.
 
One of my favorite writings about the Chaconne is by Arnold Steinhardt, first violinist of the acclaimed Guarneri String Quartet. NPR did a story on Steinhardt and his book, ‘Violin Dreams’: Chasing Bach’s Elusive Chaconne. Listen to the story here.
 
Steinhardt also publishes stories about music in a delightful blog he calls In the Key of Strawberry.
 
Happy listening. Happy reading.

by Rebecca Cochran
 
When I visited Boston last month, a highlight was the opportunity to hear all six Bach Brandenburg Concertos in a single evening. In fact, I planned my entire trip around this performance.
 
And, what a performance it was! The Chameleon Arts Ensemble is comprised of some of Boston’s finest musicians. The review by Leon Golub in The Boston Musical Intelligencer details their incredible performances.
 
Well-loved to this day, the Brandenburgs represent output from one of the least stressful and most productive periods of Bach’s life -- when he was the music director in the little town of Coethen. Bach wrote these as a set, but we rarely have the opportunity to hear the complete set in a live performance.
 
Over the years, I have enjoyed hearing or participating in many a live performance of a single Brandenburg Concerto, normally as part of a larger program of diverse works. Hearing all six on a single program allowed me to listen differently. I was able to make comparisons and enjoy the seemingly endless instrumental pairings, moods, colors and styles Bach offered up. I felt like an insider, almost as if I was right at Bach’s side, relishing each and every brilliant experiment he tried.
 
Like the reviewer, Mr. Golub, if the subsequent repeat performance had not been sold out, I would have happily been there for a second round! 

by Rebecca Cochran
 
Bach’s Cantata 151, specifically the opening aria, Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt, scored for soprano, strings and flute, is one of my all-time favorites. Bach was a master in writing an independent line for flute or other obbligato instrument in his cantatas. Somehow, this technique nearly always causes me to “melt” with joy, whether I’m the lucky player or simply listening.
 
This cantata is one of the first recordings I encountered in which my longtime mentor and teacher, flutist Louis Moyse was featured, along with soprano, Charlene Peterson. Their rendering of Cantata 151 is beautifully intimate and heart-felt, from the opening lullaby, to the contrasting center section laden with triplets of joy, and then, back again to the lullaby. Unfortunately, their recording is not commercially available today.
 
I love knowing that Bach penned so many obbligato lines for us fortunate flutists. It is wonderful to be considered “indispensible,” musically or otherwise.
 
The free sheet music for this aria can be accessed here via 8notes.com.