International Akaroa Music Festival – Bach Unlimited

Polly Ott, soprano
Wolfgang Kraemer, recorder
Barbara Stegemann, oboe
Ben Hoadley, bassoon
Milena Parobczy, violin
Edith Salzmann, cello
Alexander Gebert, cello
Alvin Wong, cello
Susie Xu, harpsichord

A feast of music by the one composer who later musicians have consistently held up as the master of all: Johann Sebastian Bach. The novelist Arthur C. Clarke wrote in 2001: A Space Odyssey that his protagonist, en route to the outer rings of Saturn, whiled away the time by listening to the music of many of the great classical masters, but grew tired of them and ‘finally found peace, as so many others had done, in the abstract architecture of Bach’. None but Bach has had the genius to turn the bare simplicity of a solo string or wind instrument into a self-sufficient whole, creating the appearance of melody, accompaniment and even multiple parts with just a single cello, violin or flute. In his accompanied works—whether for voice or an instrument with harpsichord—there is both grace and intensity. In the beautiful church of St Peter’s, Akaroa, this is a concert that will transport and transfix you.

A long night with music from Johann Sebastian Bach. Celebrate with us the amboyant genius of the German Baroque. Suites for cello, chaconne for violin, partitas for wind, arias, solo repertoire for harpsichord and much more.