The virtually limitless well of music by J.S. Bach has always had a prominent place on radio airwaves in Boston. Whether it’s an iconic work like the Toccata and Fugue in D minor or a rarely heard but emotionally riveting church cantata, Bach’s music is a touchstone, returning listeners to a foundation on which so much subsequent music has been built.
Hear The Bach Hour each Sunday at 6am on 99.5 WCRB, as well as Mondays, midnight-2am. And listen on demand for two weeks after broadcast.
Resources consulted for production of The Bach Hour include many sites, books, and other media, but in particular, the following:
- program booklets of featured recordings, including those written by John Eliot Gardiner
- Emmanuel Music and Pamela Dellal
- The Cantatas of J.S. Bach, by Alfred Dürr
- Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician and Bach's Musical Universe, by Christoph Wolff
- Bach Cantatas Website
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The mandolin virtuoso talks with host Brian McCreath about the rich musical environment of his childhood, what led him to the mandolin, and the role Bach's music plays in his artistic life. -
On The Bach Hour, the words of one of today's most eloquent pianists illuminate his performance of the composer's Partita No. 3, and Konrad Junghänel conducts the Missa Brevis in G minor. -
On The Bach Hour, Rudolf Lutz conducts the composer's Cantata 168, in which fearsome metaphors from the natural world are answered by allusions to eternity. -
On The Bach Hour, soprano Malin Hartelius and trumpeter Niklas Eklund are the soloists in a work marked by virtuosity, deep soulfulness, and ravishing exuberance. -
On The Bach Hour, the Prague-based harpsichordist reveals the astonishing creative force embedded in Bach's Toccatas, and Ton Koopman directs the Cantata 187. -
On The Bach Hour, the Boston-based violist brings her penetrating insights to the composer's Cello Suites, describing their emotional power in a conversation with host Brian McCreath. -
On The Bach Hour, a simple tune is continually transformed, creating the foundations of multiple themes in the composer's Cantata No. 93, conducted by Ton Koopman. -
On The Bach Hour, Ton Koopman leads Amsterdam Baroque in music that expresses the timeless theme of forgiveness of one's enemies as a route to contentment. -
On The Bach Hour, the Chopin Competition winner reveals passion, drama, and crystalline spark in a solo piano work, and Rudolf Lutz conducts a work infused with hope and joy, Cantata No. 30. -
On The Bach Hour, Philippe Pierlot leads Collegium Vocale Gent and the Ricercar Consort in music that begins in the wonder of the cosmos and ends in quiet, individual commitment.
