What would Bach do? That was my reaction to last night’s concert—the Bach Collegium Japan’s performance of the St. Matthew Passion. Even though I’m afraid I was left with more questions than answers, this performance was certainly memorable. The fact is that here we were, nearly 300 years after the date of the work’s composition,… Read More A surprising performance
There was a private reception with the Bach Collegium Japan after the concert. I’m so glad Carl bought the type of ticket which allowed us entrance into the private reception after the Bach Collegium Japan’s Mass in B Minor concert! He had brought along his copy of their Bach B-Minor CD and was able to… Read More VIP Reception with the Bach Collegium Japan
After a hearty breakfast in the hotel, we picked up the car and drove straight to Valparaiso University. We made a beeline for the Chapel of the Resurrection, where the concert will be held tonight. Once inside, we could see a few people setting up the stage area, which will be directly in front of… Read More The Chapel of the Resurrection
With these words on the Bach Collegium Japan‘s FaceBook page, Carl and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. That means that the group has landed safely in Michigan where they will present their first concert on this U.S. tour. We were worried that they might cancel their trip, given the horrific situation in Japan… Read More “Bach Collegium Japan is here”
We packed our bags and checked out of the hotel before spending the morning at McDonald’s. Our final concert was two more Graupner and Bach cantatas, again sung with stellar soloists, Dorothee Mields, Damien Guillon and Peter Kooij. The chorus was just 12 singers, as before, and Carl says this is the ideal number for… Read More Bach to Paris — a comedy of errors!
Up to now, we have enjoyed having our days free with the major concerts happening at night. That has left us time to do some exploring of some of the cities around Saintes. I’ve already written about our day trips to Cognac, La Rochelle and Bordeaux. I’ve been very drawn to the beautiful countryside here,… Read More Great artists, great people