Bach Festival 2011
The Majesty of Bach
AS SUPERB as J.S. Bach’s music is on radio and CD recordings, it is far more majestic when heard live, especially in the right setting. No doubt, most of the 500 or so people in attendance Sunday afternoon at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church would agree after hearing the Bach Festival Charleston Chamber Orchestra and... Read »
ORGAN: king of instruments
YOU DON’T USUALLY hear the organ played at this volume or level of intensity, certainly not in church. Last night, as part of Bach Festival Charleston at First (Scots) Presbyterian, guest artist Stefan Engels pulled out all the stops—literally—as he performed works by J.S. Bach and Sigfrid Karg-Elert, two of Germany’s and the world’s... Read »
Sonata Soloists
THE NAVE of First (Scots) Presbyterian Church absolutely loves the flute—not to mention the violin and oboe. All three sounded brilliant on this first night of Bach Festival Charleston, but it was the flute, guided by Jessica Hull-Dambaugh, that took the most flight in these acoustics, particularly when it was featured in Carl Philipp... Read »
Three Days with J.S. Bach
THE BACH FESTIVAL OF CHARLESTON, which is sponsored by First (Scots) Presbyterian Church and which is free to the public, comes to town only every two years. This will be its second occurrence in a program that offers the rare chance to hear an assortment of J.S. Bach’s chamber sonatas, organ music, orchestral works,... Read »
Bach’s Resplendent Organ Music
TALKING TO internationally acclaimed German organist Stefan Engels is an educational and inspirational experience. You quickly realize that you will never think about—or listen to—the organ the same way. But the first thing I happened to notice about this charming man who will be performing at Bach Festival Charleston was his shoes, which looked... Read »
More Than Just Beautiful Music
WHEN I ASKED Ricard Bordas, who will be conducting the Festival Kirk Choir as part of Bach Festival Charleston, whether he had any suggestions for the audience, he said without hesitation: “Arrive early, read the text—listen to a recording before if you can—and really follow the text along with the music. All this will... Read »
