Bach Festival
How Bach Can Change Your Life
The music of Johann Sebastian Bach transcends time, offering a legacy of profound beauty, spirituality, and intellectual brilliance. His compositions resonate with the ethical and spiritual depth of his personal faith, embodying universal truths that continue to inspire listeners today. Beyond its aesthetic power, Bach's music has been scientifically studied for its therapeutic effects, helping children and patients with various medical conditions by promoting healing and cognitive development. Such profound harmony between music and the human soul is why, in 1977, selections from Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 were sent into space aboard the Voyager spacecraft, representing humanity's finest cultural achievements. His music, with its intricate balance of beauty and mathematics, speaks directly to the human spirit and offers a transformative experience that touches both the heart and mind. Join us at the festival to discover how Bach can change your life.
About the Openning Concert
The Well-Tempered Clavier (Book 1)
We begin this year’s Bach Festival with one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s most monumental works, The Well-Tempered Clavier (Book I), performed by acclaimed pianist Orlando Alonso. This collection of 24 preludes and fugues, composed in every key, represents a pinnacle of musical architecture. Bach dedicated this masterpiece “for the glory of God and the education of fellow men,” underscoring its dual purpose: reverence and enlightenment.
This special opening concert will be hosted by Music at St. Mary Director Orlay Alonso and WOSU radio host Christopher Purdy. Together, they will lead an engaging exploration into the music of Bach, discussing what it means for a soloist to embark on the daunting task of preparing this highly challenging and deeply rewarding work. The evening promises to be both interactive and fun, with Alonso and Purdy inviting the audience to participate in the conversation, ask questions, and share insights.
The Well-Tempered Clavier is not only a treasure trove for pianists but also a foundational score for composers across the centuries. Its intricate structure, mathematical precision, and expressive depth serve as a blueprint for musical creation. Bach himself considered this to be the one work he hoped would survive him, believing it to encapsulate his life's vision of music as a reflection of divine order.
Join us for this extraordinary opening concert as Orlando Alonso brings to life the profound beauty, complexity, and spiritual essence of a work that continues to inspire musicians and listeners alike, embodying the timeless genius of Bach.
The concert will be divided into four sets, half an hour long each, with conversation and music.
Enjoy a time of music, and meditation.