A gift from Bach
This program brings together music that Johann Sebastian Bach offered as personal gifts—works composed or chosen for those closest to him, including his wife Anna Magdalena, King Frederick the Great (the Musical Offering), and Augustus III of Dresden, for whom parts of the Mass in B minor were conceived.
At its heart are pieces from the Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach, which include the Aria from the Goldberg Variations and Bist du bei mir, alongside music by composers Bach admired, such as François Couperin. Canons from the Musical Offering, born from Frederick the Great’s musical challenge, link the program’s sections, while its darker core is formed by the Agnus Dei from the Mass in B minor and the C minor sonata by Johann Georg Pisendel, long attributed to Bach.
As Bach once offered this music as a gift, this concert is shared as an intimate tribute to his art and to the personal world that inspired it.
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750) – Musical Offering (Musikalisches Opfer), BWV 1079:
Canon a 2 per motum contrarium, Canon a 2 cancrizans
Trio Sonata in C minor:
I. Largo
II. Allegro
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JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750) – Canon a 2 per augmentationem, contrario motu from the Musical Offering, BWV 1079
FRANÇOIS COUPERIN (1668–1773) – Premier Concerts Royaux:
Prélude – Gravement
Allemande – Légèrement
Gigue – Légèrement
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JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750) – Canon a 2 per tonos from the Musical Offering, BWV 1079
JOHANN GEORG PISENDEL (1687–1755) – Sonata for violin and continuo in C minor, formerly attributed to J. S. Bach as BWV 1024:
I. Adagio
II. Presto
III. Affettuoso
IV. Vivace
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750):
Agnus Dei from the Mass in B minor, BWV 232, for contralto, obbligato violin, and continuo; transcription for piccolo cello, violin, and cello
Trio Sonata in C minor from the Musical Offering, BWV 1079:
III. Andante
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JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750):
Canon a 2 violins in unisono from the Musical Offering, BWV 1079
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 – Theme and selected variations
Aria “Bist du bei mir”, version for voice and continuo by Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, from the Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook, BWV 508