Worcester, Mass, plans to play the whole of Bach
Newspress release:
(Worcester, MA -May 3, 2024) With a performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s majestic Mass in B Minor in historic Mechanics Hall this Sunday (May 5, 2024), Music Worcester announces the launch of THE COMPLETE BACH (TCB). Over the next 11 years, under the leadership of the initiative’s Artistic Director, Dr. Chris Shepard (also director of The Worcester Chorus) and Music Worcester’s Executive Director Adrien Finlay, Music Worcester will present over 1000 compositions by one of the most revered figures in Western music, culminating on March 21, 2035, the 350th anniversary of the Baroque master’s birth.
In America, since there are so few German speakers, it’d be a waste of time to attend (or to perform) the textual pieces.
Bach put music to words, non-native speakers pretend they are following along, but they’re not, they are only getting half, the musical half, of what they are hearing.
And this attitude is why Worcester has produced John Adams, and your city Chicago, the third largest city in the US, has produced nothing of value for classical music in its entire history.
Where do you get this stuff?
And not one note will get me anywhere near that homeless-infested, broken-down crack riddled hell hole. Just think how much worse it will be in 4 years, let alone 11. What a joke.
World class art museum, great restaurants, beautiful parks, historic colleges, largest early American library, finest pre-Civil War concert hall in the nation.
Sure, it has problems. But you need to get out more.
As someone from that area…Worcester is certainly no metropolitan city, but it is definitely not a “hell-hole”. Mechanics Hall has wonderful acoustics, much better than Symphony Hall in Boston. We should support this project, not degrade it just because it’s not in Boston or Berlin. You are a joke!
Thank you for your promise to stay away – Worcester doesn’t need such judgmental harpies. We have quality persons such as Dr. Chris Shepard and Adrien Finlay to raise our cultural standards.
How much for the Box set?
Chris Shepard has form for this – he did the entire cantata series in Sydney as well. More power to him.
Wow! What an ambitious and exciting project. I wish everyone all the best in getting to the finish line!
Sounds like Worcester got the secret sauce on Bach.