I couldn’t pass up the day without noting that this is the two hundred and twenty fourth anniversary of the birth of the greatest musickal genius ever to grace the planet. I speak, of course, of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Rather than boring you with all kinds of unoriginal bloviating about the man, his life or his talent, why don’t I instead just cut to the chase and give you a sampling: The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra playing the 1st movement from his Brandenburg Concerto No. 3:
And oh, what the heck, here’s the rousing Allegro final movement as well:
It’s a pretty good performance, although the camera work doesn’t always keep up with the musickal progression. Also, I found myself cringing a couple times when the second violin seemed to come perilously close to blinding her neighbor.
I selected this particular piece because I have always imagined it as a fine example of Bach thoroughly enjoying himself. Certainly a fitting way to celebrate his birthday.
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March 21, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Diane
Heh. He does sort of give her the fish eye at 1:06 and again around 4:54, but doesn’t seem to have to take definitive evasive action.
For whatever reason, the CDs I have of some of the Brandenburgs are my favorites to crank up in the car in the spring, the first few times I can get on the road on a sunny day with the windows open and the breeze blowing through.
March 22, 2009 at 5:11 pm
The Bovina Bloviator
For those who might not care for Bach, you should have posted the second movement of Concerto No. 3.
March 22, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Robbo
Heh.