3-day festival on Bach
"Music owes as much to Bach as religion does to its founder."
Robert Schumann
If Mozart and Beethoven are the towering twin pillars of classical music, as some maintain, what of Johann Sebastian Bach?
Others contend that the art form stands on three equally supportive legs, not the least of which is Bach's genius.
Violinist Yuriy Bekker and a corps of Charleston Symphony Orchestra principal players will be joined by Stefan Engels, JeeYoon Choi and Ricard Bordas for First (Scots) Presbyterian Church's second biennial Bach Festival of Charleston, unfolding Friday-March 6 in the church sanctuary.
Engels, a professor at the University of Music and Theater in Leipzig, Germany, and a musician who has performed worldwide, will be the guest organist for the organ lecture and concert scheduled Saturday. Following his 3:30 p.m. address on "The Leipzig Organ Tradition," Engels will present "Works of Bach and Karg-Elert: Influence & Inspiration" at 7:30 p.m.
Bekker, CSO concertmaster, will be featured at 7:30 p.m. Friday with CSO compatriots Jessica Hull-Dambaugh (flute), Mark Gainer (oboe) and Damian Kremer (cello) for the Baroque chamber concert showcasing sonatas by Bach, Telemann, Veracini and Vivaldi. The concert also features Choi, the festival's artistic director, on harpsichord.
The festival concludes at 4 p.m. March 6 with an all-Bach program of orchestral and choral works by the Festival Chamber Orchestra and Festival Kirk Choir with Bordas and Choi conducting.
"We believe music is a wonderful way to reach out to the Charleston community, introducing them to First (Scots) in this unique fashion," says Choi. "While Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto provide the festival experience late each spring, we thought a music festival in midwinter might brighten a few spirits. And with this year's Bach Festival ... we might even be harbingers of spring."
Why Bach?
"To an organist, Bach's works are like a Bible; and that's certainly true for me," Choi adds. "Of course, Bach has tremendous appeal to the general public as he is often viewed as the 'father of church music.' Bach is the great master of the German Baroque and brought this musical era to its highest point in almost every genre of music."
Choi also notes that this year's festival embraces the work of several other Baroque composers as well as a late German Romantic composer Bach influenced, Sigfrid Karg-Elert.
"We don't intend to put boundaries around the festival. Don't be surprised if we include music by composers Bach influenced in future festivals."
Adds Engels, currently a resident of Charleston between teaching stints in Leipzig, "I very much appreciate JeeYoon's efforts to further establish the Bach Festival in Charleston, especially since I now teach in the Bach town, Leipzig.
"I very much support her undertaking because many important musical cities around the world have Bach festivals, and Charleston is indeed a great musical and cultural city in general."
