Tag Archives: Johann Sebastian Bach

In appreciation – David Watkin

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by Ben Hogwood Photo (c) unknown

This week we learned the very sad news of the death of talented cellist David Watkin, at the age of 60. Watkin had to stop playing cello 11 years ago due to scleroderma, but as this moving tribute from fellow Scottish Chamber Orchestra cellist Su-a Lee shows, he was a much-loved character whose influence continued to be an overwhelmingly positive one.

I had the good fortune to witness David in action for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and his charismatic playing – with good humour clear to see – left a lasting mark. I am sure that in addition to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra the members of The Academy of Ancient Music, The King’s Consort and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique – to name just three ensembles Watkin played with – would concur.

Watkin made relatively few commercial recordings, but it is very much a case of quality over quantity. His collection of Vivaldi Cello Sonatas for Hyperion is proof of that:

Even more deserving of praise is his cycle of Bach Cello Suites, made for Resonus and carrying remarkable poise and personality, which these two excerpts illustrate:

Published post no.2,535 – Friday 16 May 2025

New music – Francesco Tristano: Bach – English Suite no.2 in A minor: Prelude (naïve)

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adapted slightly from a press release received earlier today:

After a special release in Japan, Bach: The 6 English Suites by Francesco Tristano will be released globally on May 23rd on naïve, a label of Believe Group, under his imprint intothefuture. As a first glimpse into this highly anticipated album, the Prelude from the English Suite no.2 is released today.

Following Bach: The 6 Partitas, the new recording continues Tristano’s deep exploration of J.S. Bach’s keyboard works. With his distinctive style, he brings a dynamic and immersive interpretation, capturing the rhythmic vitality and expressive depth of these suites, composed in the 1710s. Listen here:

Published post no.2,478 – Wednesday 19 March 2025

In appreciation – György Kurtág at 99

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by Ben Hogwood Picture of György Kurtág (c) Filarmonia Hungaria

This is a post in honour of the remarkable composer György Kurtág, celebrating his 99th birthday today.

You can read about his work with baritone Benjamin Appl in an interview published on Arcana last week, but to get some appreciation of Kurtág’s remarkable music, here are a few pointers:

It is perhaps a bit restrictive trying to listen to Kurtág’s music via a YouTube link, so if you can find a widescreen system to play Grabstein für Stephan on then I fully recommend it. Following the score will show just how imaginative his orchestration is, and how compressed and concentrated the music becomes.

Meanwhile the Microludes, for string quartet, encapsulate Kurtág’s economical and pinpoint style, pieces whose every move and aside is critical to the whole.

One of my favourite live experiences was watching Kurtág and his now late wife Márta play exquisite duets at the Wigmore Hall for the composer’s 80th birthday. It was like eavesdropping on a private conversation between two intimately connected souls, no more so than when they were playing Kurtág’s own arrangements of J.S. Bach:

Published post no.2,450 – Wednesday 19 February 2025

The Borrowers – The Beach Boys: Lady Lynda

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by Ben Hogwood

What tune does it use?

A choral piece by Johann Sebastian Bach, called Jesu Bleibet Meine Freude (Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring). It is the tenth movement of his cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Heart and mouth and deed and life), written early in Bach’s time in Leipzig, thought to have been in 1723. The melody, however, is understood to have been written by Johann Schop, with Bach providing the harmonisation.

The song itself was written by Beach Boys co-founder Al Jardine, paying tribute to his wife Lynda – with a co-credit also given to keyboard player Ron Altbach. Jardine sings the main vocals, with a large ensemble of session musicians given credit at the song’s Wikipedia page.

How does it work?

The song begins with a note-for-note reproduction of the Bach / Schop melody, with the harpsichord adding a metallic brightness to the thick string sound. Then Jardine starts to play around with the speed of Bach’s work, making the transition to the full-blown Beach Boys sound reasonably seamless, with the addition of some woozy syncopations.

The song has the Beach Boys’ characteristically sunny sound, but there is a certain flatness to its delivery, perhaps belying the band’s fraught relationship at the time and even foretelling the fate of Al and Lynda’s marriage.

That said, it is a bright and relatively positive song, its dappled textures and syncopations presenting Bach’s work in a new and imaginative light.

What else is new?

Lady Lynda was the third single from the Beach Boys’ relatively unsuccessful album L.A. (Light Album), released in the spring of 1979. In a streamlined radio edit, with the introduction removed, it reached no.6 in the UK singles chart.

It was however recast when Jardine and his wife divorced, pointing towards a different Lady (the Statue of Liberty) and becoming Lady Liberty instead.

Published post no.2,406 – Thursday 9 January 2025