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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On The Bach Hour, Ton Koopman conducts music that reflects both the inspiration and defiance of the composer's community, and the American Bach Soloists perform the Brandenburg Concerto No. 1. -
The mandolin virtuoso and MacArthur grant recipient reveals a deep history with Bach's music through conversation and performance on The Bach Hour. -
On The Bach Hour, Kristian Bezuidenhout is the harpsichordist in one of the masterpieces of the instrument, recorded in concert at the Boston Early Music Festival. -
The British pianist infuses Bach's Partita No. 4 with rhythmic verve and nuance, and Ton Koopman conducts the Cantata No. 96, on The Bach Hour. -
On The Bach Hour, John Eliot Gardiner leads the Monteverdi Soloists and English Baroque Soloists in the composer's reflection on the Archangel's confrontation with the Dragon. -
A performance at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition leads to a thriving concert career, and Philippe Herreweghe leads the Cantata No. 161 on The Bach Hour. -
On The Bach Hour, the vast sonic landscape of Gustav Mahler's vision transforms selections from Bach's Orchestral Suites, with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and conductor Riccardo Chailly. -
On The Bach Hour, Philippe Herreweghe leads a work that grapples with oppositional forces of light and dark, and pianist Igor Levit performs the composer's Partita No. 2. -
On The Bach Hour, Petra Müllejans and Gottfried von der Goltz are the soloists in the composer's irresistible Concerto for Two Violins, and Ton Koopman conducts the Cantata No. 47. -
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.
