The Works of J S Bach with Music for the Reformation
Lutherans love to celebrate Reformation. I often plan a fall concert program and Reformation suits us really well. A few years back, we did a hymn sing at Antioch with a brass quartet of many Reformation hymns. Successful. This time we will hear Ein Feste Burg that I’ve played since undergraduate studies in Newfoundland. Nun Danket is from a cantata, arranged by the great American organist-showman, Virgil Fox.
I always attempt to bring different types of musicians, instruments, groups and styles of music to the concerts at St. John. We’ve had harps with jazz, violin, oboe, dueling pianos with Liszt, soprano soloists, and two marimbas for Cinco de Mayo.
These programs often come out of a single conversation or idea. We started talking about the recital series for 2024-2025 during Worship and Arts team meeting last spring - Fall, narrowing to October, narrowing to Reformation Sunday, becoming a program with tenor, violin and keyboard.
It takes about ten hours to decide on the pieces in consultation with the hired professionals. Many hours of practice (and years before that) for each player and then ensemble rehearsal time to make the music come to life.
So for Sunday, October 27, at 4:00 pm we have music for
One violin
One piano (written for one harpsichord)
One organ
Tenor and keyboard
Violin and keyboard
Tenor, violin and continuo (keyboard)
I’ve been working on Bach’s Goldberg Variations since 2022. Inspired by the many recordings by Canadians Glenn Gould and Angela Hewitt, I've gone the journey that many have followed. Since COVID and the purchase of a grand piano at home, I’ve become more apt to explore the piano repertoire that I left when I became an organ major in college. This Sunday we will hear just a sample of the 30 hours that have been recorded in 45 minutes and as long as 75.
Recently, the famed Lang Lang, Chinese concert superstar, said in a radio interview that once you’ve had the Goldberg, you’ve had it all. "This is the most creative and multidimensional work in the keyboard repertoire, it is also deeply emotional and goes straight to the heart,” he adds. “One can delve deeper and deeper into its different dimensions and always discover something new.”
The British pianist Jerry Denk, says "Bach's Goldberg Variations caused me misery – but I still can't get enough", The Guardian (7 November 2013)
The Goldberg Variations have been recorded more than 600 times.
Our guest artists were invited to select music from their own repertoire. I requested the
“Air on the G String” from Daniel since it is so familiar. Don’t you hate a concert where all of the music is new? Even Bach. He and I have performed it many times together over the past 15 years.
Tyrese is sharing several of the famous arias by Bach for tenor. I’ve enjoyed exploring music from the cantatas and from the Christmas Oratorio and the Magnificat (from the texts for Advent). I requested the Ave Maria of Tyrese - so well-loved and an audience favorite.
Perhaps my favorite part of preparing for Sunday has been the ensemble music where we all play. It’s a pleasure and rare opportunity for me as a church musician.
And of course, it’s a pleasure to bring us all together to bask in the beauty of Bach. As the composer often wrote on his scores, Soli Deo Gloria "To God alone be glory."
I hope to see you at St. John on Sunday at 4:00 pm.
Sean Michael
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