Back to Bach project

During the pandemic, The Minnesota Bach Ensemble wanted to connect with our loyal audience and supporters. Each Sunday in the spring and summer of 2021, we released a movement or short segment from a larger work from MBE’s archival recordings of the last eight seasons. We’ve kept them on our site so people could come back anytime and enjoy our growing list of recordings. Each segment is accompanied with a short description by former artistic director Mischa Santora.

Week 17 (March 29, 2021)

J. S. Bach: Oboe/Violin Concerto c-minor

Dear J. S. Bach Fans,

This week we listen to the finale of the c-minor Double Concerto for oboe and violin. The first two movements have reached a depth of emotion not too frequent with concertos at that time. It is important to remember that the genre really evolved as a vehicle for virtuoso performers to flaunt their technical skills: an opportunity to show-off and be seen & heard! But with Bach, the bravado is always mixed with deepest artistry, and in the case of the double concerto, the limelight is shared with another performer; in of itself a beautiful gesture of comradery.

When it comes to final movements of a cyclical composition (like a symphony, sonata, or concerto), the creator has to make a choice about how to bring the piece to a close. It is essentially a farewell to the listener. (Just like in real life, this is actually a lot harder than one would often imagine). Bach decides to lighten up the intensity and serve up a finale that is quick, but not breathless, lively, but not exuberant, expressive, but without wide scope of the previous two movements. It serves as a cooling-down period for the audience before exiting the hall (or listening to a different piece).

This is a time-tested device for creators of all kinds of works, be it symphonic, theatrical, secular, or spiritual. Shakespeare knew about it (but did not always apply it), as did Schiller. For Mozart, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Verdi, Puccini, Debussy, and Stravinsky it was standard operating procedure. Bach was most conscious of it in his passions, which, by definition, bear down on the listener with unprecedented weight. The final choruses in both renditions (St. John and St. Matthew) serve as a small release from the 2-hour long emotional ordeal. In slightly more mundane terms: you don’t want to follow a heavy steak dinner with a huge chocolate soufflé. A small lemon sorbet with decorative mint leave garnishes will be far more digestable:)

 Mischa Santora. MBE Artistic Director

Week 16 (March 13, 2021)

J. S. Bach: Oboe/Violin Concerto c-minor

Dear MBE Fans,

It is with pleasure that I am resuming our Back-to-Bach series, after a short winter hiatus. Dovetailing with our last selection, you will hear the second movement of the beautiful c-minor concerto for oboe and violin by J. S. Bach. (Please see movement 1 entry below for overall information on the composition.)

This is one of those movements that, in my opinion, goes straight to the heart and symbolizes Bach’s unique greatness. Within a gently lilting texture of a relatively rare 12/8 meter (a compound triple meter resulting in long measures), the melodic lines of solo oboe and violin interact in most poetic ways, switching between modes of harmonious coexistence and supportive accompaniment. The orchestral accompaniment consists of a prominent bass line and gentle pizzicatos in the upper strings (plucked notes, mimicking the sounds of the harpsichord).

Bach introduces a dramatic color change in the middle of the movement, with sustained strings and the first entrance of the harpsichord (with little cadenzas in the solo oboe and violin). The mood briefly shifts towards the foreboding, before resorting back to the serene beauty of the beginning.

Throughout his works, Bach wrote a few movements that evoke a similar mood. To me, it captures the emotion we might feel after a long, arduous journey, filled with strife and antagonism. Moving past all hardships, this music signifies peaceful acceptance of life's inevitable frictions, and with it the symbiosis of bliss and grief on our planet. It is a rare moment of quiet, solitary reflection, past remorse and regret, and beyond ambitions and exuberance. It is a placid contemplation of our past.

That’s why I find it among the most moving pieces in the entire catalogue of Classical Music. I hope you will enjoy listening to it.

 Mischa Santora, MBE Artistic Director

Week 15 (December 21, 2020)

J. S. Bach: Oboe/Violin Concerto c-minor

Dear MBE Fans,

 I hope this finds you all relatively well, healthy, and sane at the end of a difficult and unprecedented year.
We at MBE have been very hard at work on our upcoming projects, including an hour-long video performance, featuring our performers in works by J.S. Bach, Telemann, and Haydn. This is a professionally produced recording in a beautiful space, including short musical greetings by the performers and introductions by myself, slated for release early February. Please stay tuned for updates!
In the meantime, we want to continue to do what, I believe, we do best: to share extraordinary music with you during a time when we cannot perform publicly.

The next installment in Back-to-Bach features the poetic c-minor double concerto for violin, oboe, and orchestra by our patron saint, J. S. Bach. The concerto has a confusing history, with an original version for violin and oboe, presumably from the Köthen years, that was lost. Then there is a two-harpsichord version of the c-minor concerto from a later period (believed to be based on the lost violin/oboe concerto) that has been reconstructed to its original form.

Musicological dilemmas apart, it is, of all of Bach’s wonderful concertos, perhaps my favorite. C-minor is generally thought of as a key for dark, brooding emotions. But not so here: the first movement opens with a gentle, melancholy lilt, with a charming echo-effect in the solo parts at the ends the first two phrases. Throughout the movement the two solo parts are interweaving in most artful ways, forming a lovely color contrast between the string and double reed hues. It is also worth noting that substantial portions of this movement are in major keys, brightening the overall mood.
It is music like this that brings back memories of Holiday parties back in my student days as a violinist in Berlin.  Christmas gatherings would consist of candle light, tangerines, low-decibel conversations, and music by Bach, generally Cantatas or the Christmas Oratorio. No Jingle Bells or questionable arrangements of Sleigh Ride…:)

In the spirit of thoughtful and intimate celebration, we wish you all a beautiful, healthy, and healing Holiday Season. 

 Mischa Santora and your MBE team

This performance was part of MBE’s Debut on January 12, 2013.

Jonathan Magness, violin
John Snow, oboe
Andrew Altenbach, conductor