Concert Favourites in the Light Classical Tradition

Meanwhile, I searched through our home record collection for more Bach. I found some, but I also found a treasure trove that led me into many different areas of classical music. Deutsche Grammophon's "Concert Favourites in the Light Classical Tradition" is a ten record box set. 

Record Seven was called "Festival of the Strings" which included Bach's Third Brandenburg Concerto, which quickly became a favorite Bach composition, but it also included Springtime by Vivaldi, another baroque composer who preceded Bach and greatly influenced him. It wasn't long before I was off in search of a complete recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and so it went, through many of compositions in this wonderful collection that proved to be an ideal introduction to many areas of classical music...

I eventually got all six of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and began reading about his tumultuous life. The Brandenburgs were said to be composed when he was court musician at Cothen, under Prince Leopold, probably the happiest and most productive six years of his career. Prince Leopold was an avid music lover and also a very talented musician.

Unfortunately, to get to Cothen, Bach first had to extract himself from the court of Weimar when he was concert master. A horn player there had asked for a dismissal so that he could pursue opportunities elsewhere and was promptly sentenced to one hundred lashes and prison. He escaped before this sentence could go into effect, but was hanged in effigy anyway as an example for other servants with wandering inclinations. 

Bach ended up spending a month in prison for the crime of "stubbornness" in his desire to leave Weimar. Prince Leopold of Cothen used his influence to free Bach from prison and they became close friends, blurring the line between master and servant. Prince Leopold even stood as godfather to Bach's son who was born in Cothen. 

I was thrilled to find a concert video featuring performances of all six of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos played at Cothen Castle by the wonderful Freiburger Baroque Orchestra:

Freiburger Barockorchestra - Johann Sebastian Bach:

Brandenburg Concertos No. 1-6 (BWV 1046-1051)