Written by Jonathan Blumhofer
“The more you listen to Bach, the more your synapses fire up. All you have to do is hold the reins and let Bach’s horse take you wherever you go.”
Chris Shepherd, Artistic Director and Conductor of Worcester Choir, will become Artistic Director of the Complete Bach Project, sponsored by Music Worcester. Photo: Matt Wright
Music Worcester’s 11-year survey of all of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music, “The Complete Bach,” officially launches on October 25th. In anticipation of this opportunity, I spoke to one of the driving forces behind this venture, Worcester Choir Music Director Chris Shepherd. His experience with this cuisine is immense, as is his enthusiasm for sharing it widely. Among many other things, he wants to draw attention to a series of engaging podcasts available on the project’s website that provide background and insight into the composer, his music, and his reception. I thought about it.
The following is a transcript of a broader conversation, edited for length, clarity and content.
Arts Fuse: First of all, how did this project come about?
Chris Shepherd: Well,[Music Worcester executive director Adrian Finlay]has been saying for years that we’re going to find a way for you to play all the cantatas, and a year ago in January… We talked about it again. And when I started thinking about what was going on with Bach in Boston and what Emmanuel (music) had done, and now there are people all over the world who have played or are playing all the cantatas. But I said to Adrian: “Actually, as crazy as it sounds, I think that ship has left the dock. I think if you really want to differentiate yourself, you should do everything you can.” I immediately saw the potential.
AF: It’s a huge amount of music, 132 concerts in 11 years, but Music Worcester has an in-house ensemble, the Worcester Choir, and is actively involved in presentations, so it’s hard to believe. It’s not that hard of a job. organization. How will that affect your program this year and future seasons?
Johann Sebastian Bach. Photo: Wikicommon
CS: Yes! In some ways, the chorus is a remnant of a larger organization that went in a different direction. As you know, Music Worcester offers a very diverse program each year, with some very well-known artists as well as some up-and-coming artists. You can hear everything from our great presenters. But at the same time, this chorus is also part of the bigger picture. And then we realized, “Oh, this is a great way to combine two things.” Therefore, the chorus also participates, but is not the only participant in the project.
In fact, our usual people will be willing to help. It’s the people we know and love. For example, this year we have Jeremy Denk, Zlatmir Fan, and Simone Dinerstein. Vijay Gupta, who was with us last year, will be back. I can’t tell you any names as it’s still in the planning stages, but I can tease you that it’s crazy how many artists and artist managers have already contacted us. It’s clear that the music world already knows about this project, which is very exciting.
AF: And in addition to the established names, there are also some special groups involved, right?
CS: Yes. I’m more focused on bringing the community together to do things now than I was when I was younger. And this whole project is truly a community effort. So we formed something called the Worcester Bach Collective. This could be a church choir, a community choir, a children’s choir, whatever, because I just believe in everyone having an opportunity. I feel strongly that Bach’s music is for everyone.
AF: Do you feel like that’s something that’s been lost, or is it now less felt or understood than it should be?
CS: Something happened with the period instrument revolution that was quite extraordinary because it deepened our understanding of Bach’s music. However, the flip side of the long-standing challenge was that, as a large amateur choir, it was impossible to perform Bach without being roundly criticized by critics. So people stopped doing it. And I think that’s really unfortunate.
I think some of the pieces are more difficult for choirs, but that’s mostly because he wrote them for professional choirs. That’s why CONCORA, my professional choir in Connecticut, participates in some of these performances. However, there are many works that professional singers can do. Sure, it might be scary at first, but by the end you’re like, “Oh yeah, this isn’t as hard as I thought.”
AF: And from what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem to be just limited to local groups or musicians.
CS: That’s right. This has always been thought of as a project like throwing a stone into water. Yes, the first circle around that stone is Worcester. But he soon heard from colleagues who wanted to bring in choirs from all over New England. We were in Barcelona this summer, conducting Bach at a festival there, and we’ve already spent two years planning a one-weekend “takeover of Barcelona,” and this professional, who performs cantatas every year. We bring a group, you know, a professional choir.
Ultimately, I want[the complete works of Bach]to belong to the audience and everyone on stage. That’s why I decided to end this month’s performance as is (with a performance by the collective). I love doing things like this where singers come from far away. I think it’s a bit like throwing a party and thinking, “Oh, I hope people come.” So make sure to invite your closest friends so you won’t be alone when the party starts.
We expected at most 60 people to show up for this, but nearly 150 people showed up from as far away as Florida. I’m really looking forward to it. The weekend is shaping up to be a proper festival, and from the start there will be this real web of activity surrounding it all.
AF: This is what Music Wooster really is…
CS: Yes! This is a reminder of the Worcester Music Festival’s roots 160 years ago. We had a large choir of 300 people and people came from out of town for a week. In this sense, I think it’s really great that Adrian and I are taking some of the music here back to the beginning.
AF: There are two big weekends of concerts this season: Bachtoberfest (October 25-27) and Bach Birthday Bash (March 21-23), with other events sprinkled throughout the rest of the year. It is being Will it continue to be like this in the future?
CS: Basically yes. Coincidentally, Mechanics Hall, which we all love, has been great working with us. Our idea was that if we held two weekends a year, the last weekend in October and the weekend closest to Bach’s birthday, March 21st, we would have at least 12 concerts a year. That means you can cancel seven times. So mechanics blocked those two weekends every year.
AF: But all this Bach doesn’t make up an entire season of Worcester Choir or Music Worcester, right?
CS: Not at all. I know that there are people who like to sing Bach. There are people who like to sing Bach. And some people tolerate singing Bach. And I also know that not everyone always joined the Worcester Choir to sing Bach. And in fact, the same is true for our audience. (Music Worcester) puts on 20 to 24 concerts a year, so there’s a lot more on offer.
That being said, we would like to eventually host Bach jazz events and Bach dance events as well. This is an event that connects all parts of the audience and gives them something to relate to.
AF: Bach may seem like a pretty formidable musical figure, but as you said, he’s a great guy for “everybody.” How does he get around the challenges of style, syntax, complexity, and sometimes length that his music poses?
CS: Well, I make no apologies for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and I have no doubt that audiences are capable of loving this music. I don’t think there’s a need to dilute it, and I don’t think there’s a need to tell people about it. But certainly, sitting and listening to all six cello suites in one concert, as I will do with Zlatmir Fung in October, is a challenge in a way. Or you can listen to all six partitas, like we did in March with Jeremy Denk. But I truly believe that challenge is part of the glory of music. The more you listen to Bach, the more your synapses activate, and all you have to do is grab the reins and let Bach’s horse take you wherever you go.
AF: You mentioned earlier about places that are closely associated with Bach’s performances, such as Boston, the Netherlands, and Leipzig. How do you think Worcester fits into that list?
CS: Well, Worcester is the city that I really fell in love with. I’ve been working there for 15 years, and I think the renaissance the city has experienced in the last five years or so is only a small part of its trajectory. This is a fast-growing community right now, but historically it’s also been a community that comes together for things. It’s very civic-minded, and part of the evidence of that is that these old family foundations that exist in Worcester support the arts and other activities at a level matched only in major cities around the world. It wants to make things possible and provide opportunities for people living in Worcester. I love it and am so grateful for all that it allows us to do.
Bachtoberfest opens Friday at 8pm with CONCORA performing cantatas BWV 71, 119 and 120. On Saturday, Peter Edwin Krasinski will give an organ recital at 4 p.m., and Zlatmir Hung will perform six cello suites at 7 p.m. Sunday’s event will feature the Bachtoberfest Choir and Worcester Children’s Choir performing cantatas BWV 62, 122, and 50. All performances will be held in Mechanics. hole. The First Unitarian Church Choir will also perform Cantata BWV 61 at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at First Unitarian Church in Worcester.
Jonathan Blumhofer is a composer and violist who has been active in the Boston metropolitan area since 2004. His music has won numerous awards and has been performed by various ensembles including the American Composers Orchestra, Kyiv Philharmonic, Camerata Chicago, Xantos Ensemble, and Juventus New. music group. Since receiving his PhD from Boston University in 2010, John has taught online at Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Phoenix, and writes music reviews for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.