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A Memorable Programme
Bach Cantatas at London's Royal Academy of Music,
heard by MALCOLM MILLER
The sweet emphasis of the phrase Süsses Wort voll Trost und Leben ('Sweet words of comfort and life') by the young tenor Alexander Sprague, in J S Bach's Cantata BWV 113, highlighted the expressive characterisation of Bach's sacred oeuvre that continues to yield unexpected interpretations some three centuries after its genesis. Sprague was one of four outstanding young soloists, students of the London's Royal Academy of Music and recipients of Kohn Bach Scholarships, who along with the Royal Academy Baroque Orchestra and Chorus, conducted with vitality and exciting precision by John Butt, launched the third year of the RAM/Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata Series, which has become one of the highlights of the London concert calendar.
The concert (on Sunday 16 January 2011) was conducted from the harpsichord by Professor John Butt, who received the 2010 RAM/Kohn Bach Prize, for his outstanding international contribution to Bach scholarship and interpretation. Indeed Butt, who is Professor at Glasgow University, has a prolific list of Bach publications including a recent book, Bach's Dialogue with Modernity, as well as a string of prize wining recordings since the 80s and 90s. In his introductory appreciation, RAM Principal Jonathan Freeman-Attwood praised John Butt for his distinguished career and also expressed gratitude to Sir Ralph Kohn of the Kohn Foundation for his support of the RAM Bach projects...
Copyright © 19 January 2011
Malcolm Miller,
London UK
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