Compositeur - Bach

Jane Shuttleworth reflects on the very different natures of Bach's St John and St Matthew Passions. 

There can be few more evocative words in music than ‘passion’. As well as its familiar English definition, in a musical context it also suggests the commemoration of that most emotive Christian story, the journey of Jesus to the cross. The word has also come to be all but synonymous in music with its two greatest exemplars: the St. John and St. Matthew Passions of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Historically-informed performance fanatics, look away now.

As part of Baroque Month, an exploration by Fran Wilson of Bach's incredible Goldberg Variations... fertile terrain for those who dare to walk there.

There’s a range of works by Bach on Bachtrack At Home. Here, we explore 10 of the best. 

If I’m feeling a bit down, and in need of a quick pick-me-up, my musical drug of choice is Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 in F major. After just a few bars of that cheerfully busy theme, I’ll be starting to smile, and by the time the trumpet starts its insane trilling my spirits are well and truly lifted.