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The World

Donald Macleod travels from place to place with JS Bach, today exploring the afterlife of his music, including his interstellar excusion aboard the Voyager spacecraft.

Donald Macleod travels from place to place with JS Bach, today examining the afterlife of Bach鈥檚 music, including his propulsion into outer space aboard the Voyager spacecraft鈥檚 Golden Record.

When the astronomer Carl Sagan asked for suggestions as to what music should be included on the Golden Record, the writer Lewis Thomas responded: 鈥淚 would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach,鈥 adding, 鈥渂ut that would be boasting.鈥

It鈥檚 a long way from Leipzig, where Bach died in 1750, when it was by no means certain that his music would endure. Indeed much of it didn鈥檛. JS Bach slipped quietly from view so that by the end of the 19th century there was no gravestone to mark where he was buried.

Partita for Violin Solo No. 3 in E Major
III. Gavotte en Rondeau
Arthur Grumiaux, violin

Capriccio in E major
Sviatoslav Richter, piano

St Matthew Passion
Concentus Musicus
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor

St Matthew Passion
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor

Goldberg Variations
Glenn Gould, piano

59 minutes

Last on

Fri 22 Feb 2019 12:00

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Music Played

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Gavotte (Violin Partita No 3 in E major, BWV 1006)

    Performer: Arthur Grumiaux.
    • PHILIPS 0289 438 7362.
    • PHILIPS.
    • 12.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Capriccio in E major, BWV 993

    Performer: Sviatoslav Richter.
    • Deutsche Grammophon 鈥 138 950.
    • Deutsche Grammophon 鈥-.
    • 13.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 (extract)

    Singer: Kurt Equiluz. Ensemble: Concentus Musicus Vienna. Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
    • Telefunken 6.35047.
    • Telefunken.
    • 1.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 (extract)

    Choir: Monteverdi Choir. Orchestra: English Baroque Soloists. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
    • ARCHIV 0289 469 7692 0.
    • ARCHIV.
    • 15.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

    Performer: Glenn Gould.
    • SONY 88725411822.
    • SONY.
    • 1.

Broadcast

  • Fri 22 Feb 2019 12:00

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