Composer Of The Week

Donald Macleod tries to get to the heart of JS Bach’s character, warts and all.Johann Sebastian Bach, who is now almost universally recognised as one of the giants of classical music, was not always so celebrated. In his own lifetime he received some public recognition but this contrasted with his regular complaints of unjust humiliations at the hands of his contemporaries and his employers. Was the composer hard done by or were these problems of his own making? This week, Donald Macleod tries to get to the heart of Bach’s character, warts and all, through five different periods in the composer’s life. We’ll be hearing from some of Bach’s most glorious music, as Donald ponders what the composer’s character might mean for our understanding of the man and his art.Music Featured: St Matthew Passion, BWV 244, “Wir setzen uns mit Tranen nieder” Solo Violin Sonata No 1 in G minor, BWV 1001 (I, Adagio) Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, BWV 150 Passacaglia and fugue in C minor, BWV 582 Ascension Oratorio, BWV 11, “Ach