Köthen Calls

Johann Sebastian Bach is a towering cultural icon, a composer who might be seen as the poster boy for “serious music” and spent most of his career in the service of the church. But he played many roles in the course of his life, and could be funny, sassy, conniving, obstinate, and rebellious. This week, along with the “worldly” Bach, we’ll get to know his secular music… and follow his trail as he makes his way in the world, from courts to coffee houses, building a family, two-timing his bosses, and even a stint behind bars.

Today, Bach’s chapter in Köthen is full of plot twists: a career pivot, a princely patron, a tragedy nobody saw coming…and a chance encounter which leads to some of his best-loved instrumental gems.

Prelude in D minor, BWV851
Aaron Pilsan, piano

Brandenburg Concerto No 5, BWV1050 (iii. Allegro)
Academy of Ancient Music
Richard Egarr, harpsichord/director

Cantata BWV134a ‘Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht’: Ergetzet auf Erden
Damien Guillon, alto
Makoto Sakurada, tenor
Bach Collegium Japan
Masaaki Suzuki, conductor

Cello Suite No 2 in D minor, BWV1008 (Sarabande and minuets)
Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello

French Suite No 4 in E-flat major, BWV815 (1st-4th movements)
Murray Perahia, piano

Brandenburg Concerto No 4 in G major, BWV1049
Monica Huggett, violin
Rachel Beckett, recorder
Marion Scott, recorder
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West