Back to Bach

You know Bach, whether you think you do or not. You probably remember Hannibal Lecter, blood smeared on his lips, lost in the rapture of Bach's Goldberg Variations in Silence of the Lambs, or perhaps the Phantom of the Opera, mournfully playing Toccata and Fugue in D minor on his subterranean organ. You might even be part of the generation that was convinced to cough their way through Hamlet cigars by advertising that made cunning use of 'Air On A G String'. Classical music fan or not, rest assured. Bach is in your head.

Other than Beethoven and Mozart, both of whom admitted their debt to his influence, Johann Sebastien Bach is arguably the composer whose presence is popular culture is most widespread, and whose music appeals to the greatest variety of audiences. Though largely unappreciated in his own lifetime except as an organist, the German composer's legacy would later find admirers in Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn and Hector Berlioz, who once said, "Bach is to music what God is to God."

Purists may favour performances that feel true to history, but Bach's influence has stretched far beyond the classical arena; interpretations of the oeuvre range from the jazz versions of Jacques Loussier, to Switched-On Bach, Wendy Carlos' 1968 album of renditions performed on the prog-favourite Moog synthesizer. Even after three centuries, Bach still has the power to surprise, and this year's Fringe offers festival-goers a deluge of opportunities to discover this for themselves. 

In what has become an annual tradition, the Ludus Baroque chamber orchestra will once again open the International Festival with Bach's ethereal B Minor Mass. The gothic trappings of the Canongate Kirk offer an appropriate backdrop for a host of performances such as Best of Bach, a recital of his greatest organ pieces, and Bach for Solo Violin, a selection of sonatas and partitas performed by Hungarian violinist Tamas Fejes. In the cosy intimacy of Valvona and Crolla, Italian guitarist Luca Villani traces three centuries of evolving composition in From Bach to Piazolla, while Anne-Isabel Meyer returns to the Fringe with an epic three day cycle of Bach's Cello Suites at St. Cuthbert's Parish Church. And at the Royal Over-Seas League, early risers can enjoy a showcase of international prize winners in the 13th series of the appropriately named Bach for Breakfast.

Cellist Jun Sasaki, one of the performers at this year's Bach for Breakfast, can probably trace his connection to Bach to a more unusual first encounter than most: "Since my mother is a violinist, I probably first heard Bach in my mother's womb," he remembers.

A student of the Guildhall School of Music and the Royal College of Music, as well as winner of the Anna Shuttleworth Prize and second prize in the Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition, Sasaki understands the huge range of interpretations that Bach can inspire. "Everybody has a different idea about how to play Bach and what it means to them," he muses. "And as a result, each performer has their own interpretation. I find that it is easier for me to find a personal way of playing Bach than with most other composers. But at the same time, it's very difficult, as you know somebody somewhere will disagree with the way I play Bach because everybody has such a different idea on how to play Bach!"

Pianist Ashley Fripp, another performer at this year's Bach for Breakfast and winner of over a dozen prestigious international competitions, including first prize at the Brant International Piano Competition and the Award for Keyboard at the Royal Over-Seas League Competition, argues that Bach's influence over music in the present day "cannot be overstated and for that, we might all be indebted to him as one of the most important composers of all time. I admire the honesty and nobility of spirit in his music, and despite the often extremely complex structures or compositional techniques that he employs, there is always a marvellous organic naturalness and an elegance to the writing. I love Bach, and that's all that matters to me."

The passion with which both musicians talk is evident. For Sasaki, the greatest performance of Bach he ever heard was in Leipzig, where the composer lived and worked, on the organ that Bach himself once played upon. Fripp, on the other hand, fondly recalls the St. Matthew Passion, performed by the Bach Choir and the Florilegium Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in April. It was "a completely miraculous performance, so beautiful and perfect. It moved me to tears on a  number of occasions, and I hope I shall never forget it."