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)
Musical Offering, BWV 1079: Canon a 2 per augmentationem, contrario motu
FRANÇOIS COUPERIN (1668–1773)
Premier Concert Royal: Prélude – Gravement, Allemande – Légèrement, Gigue – Légèrement
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JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750)
Musical Offering, BWV 1079: Canon a 2 per tonos
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)
Mass in B minor, BWV 232: Agnus Dei for contralto, obbligato violin, and continuo (transcription for violoncello piccolo, violin, and cello)
Musical Offering, BWV 1079: Trio Sonata in C minor, III. Andante
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JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750)
Musical Offering, BWV 1079: Canon a 2 violins in unisono
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Theme and selected variations
GOTTFRIED HEINRICH STÖLZEL
Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook, BWV 508: Aria Bist du bei mir, version for voice and continuo (transcription for violoncello piccolo, violin, and cello)