J. S. Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos

Stefan Gottfried unearths classical symbolism amongst these treasures as he reinterprets the Brandenburgs with the glorious sound of the Concentus Musicus.

When Johann Sebastian Bach visited margrave Christian Ludwig von Brandenburg in the Berlin Palace, all the ancient deities that shone down at him from the painted ceilings were the ones that were behind his secret scheme for the Brandenburg Concertos. The idea that in this cycle Bach might have been glorifying the virtues of Baroque princes under the guise of mythology is not new, but it remains utterly charming. Diana’s hunting horn, Pan’s pipes, Apollo’s violin and the nine muses with their stringed instruments are among the obvious allusions.

Duration 120 minutes
Orchestra / Band Concentus Musicus Vienna
Conductor Stefan Gottfried
Producer ORF in association with styriarte