Performers
John Eliot Gardiner
Viktoria Mullova
Ton Koopman
Bobby McFerrin
Jacques Loussier
Maasaki Suzuki
Georg-Christoph Biller
Leipzig Thomasenchor
et al

On 28 Jul 2000 - the 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach - TV stations worldwide celebrated the music of the great man with linkups of live concerts, documentaries, features and archive performances. This programme celebrates that day - a tribute to how Bach's legacy still holds power even in this ratings-oriented age.

The image painted of Bach (1658-1750) is usually of an obstinate, ivory-tower musician writing his architectonically wondrous pieces for the glory of God. True, he could be an awkward customer to deal with (he once spent a few days in jail over contractual wranglings with an employer); true, he never travelled (especially in contrast to his 'jet'-setting contemporary Handel, whom he never met). And true too, that he regarded everything he produced, whether religious cantata or instrumental violin piece, as an expression of God's beauty.

But we should not rush to judge a man's character on the basis of a few tetchy remarks about employers (in which case we're all damned), or by the smaller world of the 18th century when travel was a major undertaking. Though he evidently didn't care for the stagecoach, Bach was well aware of musical developments in his time, up to speed with modern musical thought - how else could his son CPE be such a pioneer of the Rococo movement? And there is plenty of evidence of winking humour in his music for those who look - sometimes abstractly, in the fugues, sometimes more obviously, such as one of the Goldberg Variations which is based on a then-popular song about cabbages!

And, besides, the most important thing about Bach is not how many times he was married (twice) or how many children he sired (20, most of whom died young). It is, of course, the music - and this life-affirming programme is a thorough celebration of that.

This programme examines what it is about Bach's music that has made him 'the' great composer, and has made his great works appeal to people across continents and eras. From his 'rescue' in the mid-1800s by composers such as Mendelssohn, who recognised the genius in the hitherto unnoticed manuscripts they found, Bach has become an icon of music at its purest, its most abstractly beautiful, its highest form.


Around 400 musicians - including six orchestras, seven ensembles, three choirs, and 40 soloists took part in the original 24-hour broadcast, seen by 100 million people in 40 countries. As well as illuminating interviews on Bach with some of the artists who took part in the event, we see in this programme highlights of the concerts.

These included live broadcasts of the B minor Mass from the Thomaskirche in Leipzig; the St John Passion from Tokyo (under the excellent Masaaki Suzuki and his period-instrument band); and an open-air show called 'Swinging Bach' from Leipzig's market square under the genial crossover musician Bobby McFerrin. (Don't let the faux-naivety of his hit single Don't Worry, Be Happy, now sung by a fish near you, deceive you: McFerrin is a highly accomplished classical and jazz musician.)

A programme to treasure for all music lovers.