When Johann Sebastian Bach visited Christian Ludwig von Brandenburg, Margrave of Brandenburg, at the Berlin Palace, the antique gods hiding behind the secret programme of his “Brandenburg Concertos” were all over the painted palace ceilings. The notion that Bach might have used this cycle to pay tribute to the virtues of baroque aristocrats in the guise of mythology is not new, but still very charming. Diana’s hunting horns, Pan’s flutes, Apollo’s violin and the nine muses with their string instruments are obvious references after all. Stefan Gottfried draws on this treasure trove of ancient imagery when he reinterprets the “Brandenburg Concertos” in the magnificent sound of the Concentus Musicus.

© Styriarte

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PROGRAM
Johann Sebastian Bach: Six Brandenburg Concertos, BWV 1046-1051