Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
BWV 1049 · 432 Hz
Solo violin and two recorders against the strings. The most luminous of the six Brandenburg concerti.
Classical · German Baroque · 1685 · 1750
Johann Sebastian Bach
Composer of the inner architecture. Bach signed his manuscripts Soli Deo Gloria, and he wrote as if the score were a cathedral built by hand. He served as a town Kapellmeister, a parish cantor, a court harpsichordist; he raised twenty children and left a body of work that is still the structural ground of Western music. From the unaccompanied cello suites to the St. Matthew Passion, the listener walks through one room of his mind after another.
XLIV selections · 19h 33m
Individual works
Brandenburg concerti, suites, sonatas, and single pieces
Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
BWV 1049
A second reading of the Fourth, in standard tuning.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5
BWV 1050 · 432 Hz
The first piano concerto in history. Bach gives the harpsichord a long solo cadenza of pure invention.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1
BWV 1046 · 432 Hz
Two horns, three oboes, bassoon, strings. The largest ensemble of the six, in festival mode.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1
BWV 1046
A second reading of the First, in standard tuning.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
BWV 1048 · 432 Hz
Three violins, three violas, three cellos. The most compact of the six, woven from a single architectural impulse.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6
BWV 1051 · 432 Hz
Two violas, two viola da gambas, cello, double bass, harpsichord. No violins. A study in viola-toned shadow.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
BWV 1047
Trumpet, recorder, oboe, violin. The four soloists of the Second, in standard tuning.
Cantata BWV 147
Complete · "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" · 432 Hz
The complete cantata that gave the world its most beloved chorale. Heart, voice, and quiet glory.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
BWV 1047 · 432 Hz
The Second with its high D trumpet solo, in 432 Hz tuning. The brightest of the six.
Violin Sonata No. 3
BWV 1003
A solo violin sonata in four movements. Counterpoint extracted from a single instrument.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6
BWV 1051
A second reading of the Sixth, in standard tuning. The same viola-toned ensemble.
Cello Suite No. 2
BWV 1008 · 432 Hz
The minor-key cello suite. Six movements of solitary descent and return.
Orchestral Suite No. 3
BWV 1068 · 432 Hz
The suite that contains the Air on the G string. Trumpet, oboe, strings; ceremonial joy.
Chaconne
from "Holocaust" · 432 Hz
The closing Chaconne from the Partita No. 2 for solo violin, in a contemplative reading.
Concerto in D minor
BWV 1043 · 432 Hz
The Concerto for Two Violins. Two solo lines weaving the same melodic thought.
Cello Suite No. 4
BWV 1010 · Yo-Yo Ma · 432 Hz
The fourth suite, played by Yo-Yo Ma. The most architecturally complex of the six.
Sonata No. 6
BWV 1006a · 432 Hz
The lute or solo violin transcription of the Sixth Partita opening. Dance suite as keyboard meditation.
Cello Suite No. 2
BWV 1008 · 432 Hz · alternate reading
A second reading of the D minor suite, in 432 Hz tuning.
Partita No. 2
BWV 1004 · Arthur Grumiaux · 432 Hz
The great Chaconne partita played by Arthur Grumiaux. Five movements ending in one of the summits of Western music.
Cello Suite No. 6
BWV 1012 · Florian Berner · 432 Hz
The largest of the six suites, written for a five-string cello. Berner brings out its scale.
Cello Suite No. 3
BWV 1009 · 432 Hz
The bright C major suite. The most direct and joyful of the six.
Violin Sonata No. 1
BWV 1001
The first of the six sonatas and partitas for solo violin. Counterpoint inside a single string.
Cello Suite No. 3
BWV 1009 · 432 Hz · alternate reading
A second reading of the C major suite, in 432 Hz tuning.
Cello Suite No. 6
BWV 1012 · Yo-Yo Ma · 432 Hz
Yo-Yo Ma's reading of the Sixth Suite. The largest of the six brought to its full scale.
Cello Suite No. 1
BWV 1007 · G major · 432 Hz
The most loved of the six. The Prelude that opens it is one of the most recognizable melodies in music.
Orchestral Suite No. 1
BWV 1066 · 432 Hz
Two oboes, bassoon, strings. The opening suite of the four; French-overture style.
Concerto for Two Violins
432 Hz
A second reading of BWV 1043, in 432 Hz tuning. The two solo violins in canonic dialogue.
Violin Sonata No. 3
BWV 1005 · 432 Hz
The C major sonata for solo violin. A long fugue at its center, one of the most demanding in the repertoire.
Cello Suite No. 1
BWV 1007 · 432 Hz · alternate reading
A second reading of the G major suite, in 432 Hz tuning.
Concerto for Two Violins
BWV 1043 · 432 Hz
A third reading of the celebrated double concerto. Two solo lines weaving the same melodic thought.
Violin Sonata No. 2
BWV 1003 · 432 Hz
The A minor sonata for solo violin. Four movements built around a central fugue.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5
BWV 1050
A second reading of the Fifth, in standard tuning. The historic harpsichord cadenza intact.
Orchestral Suite No. 4
BWV 1069 · 432 Hz
Three trumpets, timpani, oboes, strings. The most festive of the four orchestral suites.
Cello Suite No. 4
BWV 1010 · Yo-Yo Ma · 432 Hz · alternate
A second Yo-Yo Ma reading of the E-flat suite.
Partita No. 1
BWV 1002 · 432 Hz
The B minor partita for solo violin. Four movements with their doubles, dance music as discipline.
Air on the G String
Full · 432 Hz
The Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in its full orchestral form. The most loved single page Bach ever wrote.
Cello Suite No. 5
BWV 1011 · 432 Hz
The dark C minor suite. Originally written for an unusual scordatura tuning, the most shadowed of the six.
Partita No. 2
BWV 1004 · Arthur Grumiaux
A second Grumiaux reading of the Chaconne partita, in standard tuning.
Violin Sonata No. 2
BWV 1003
A second reading of the A minor sonata, in standard tuning.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
BWV 1048
A second reading of the Third, in standard tuning.
Extended listening
The Goldberg Variations, Cello Suites, and St. Matthew Passion
Complete works at the highest scale. For the longest sessions of work or contemplation.
Goldberg Variations
BWV 988 · Complete · 432 Hz
An aria and thirty variations, written for an insomniac count. The most architecturally complete set of variations ever composed.
The Best of Bach · Cello Suites
Florian Berner · 432 Hz
Berner's readings of the Six Cello Suites gathered in one long sitting. Over two hours of solo cello as inner discipline.
St. Matthew Passion
BWV 244 · Complete
The complete Passion. Almost three hours; the highest summit of Western sacred music, scored for double chorus, double orchestra, and the voice of the Evangelist.