The reflective and introspective alto arias by Bach on this recording are considered a fundamental part of our musical heritage, influencing later composers like Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bach often reserved the B minor key for his deepest thoughts on humanity's relationship to God, even in secular works like the B minor Orchestral Suite.
Album & Artwork
The album's concept of a 'song cycle' for alto voice by Bach is inspired by the early 20th-century tradition of composers like Charles Ives, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, and Gustav Mahler.
Interpretation
The movements from Bach's B minor Orchestral Suite are interspersed between the arias, functioning as 'promenades' similar to those in Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, creating breathing space and a sense of time passing.
Album & Artwork
The arias on this album are thematically united as 'penitential', exploring different aspects of Christian experience with Easter as the central theme.
Composer Biography
Bach's preference for the alto voice might also have been influenced by his second wife, Anna Magdalena, who was musical, sang, played keyboard, and performed publicly with him.
Composer Biography
Bach favored the alto voice for some of his most profound music, possibly because older boys in his choir school, who were more musically experienced, were typically altos.
