Omni Releases Second “Best of Bach” Video

Cover design for the video being discussed, showing the participating guitarists: Ana Vidović, Zuzanna Bonarska, and Sandel Redžić (from the YouTube Web page)

This past March, the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts released a YouTube video of guitarist David Russell performing the four lute suites by Johann Sebastian Bach: BWV 996 in E minor, BWV 997 in C minor, BWV 995 in G minor, and BWV 1006a in E major. The title of the video was Best of Bach. Two days ago, a second “volume” in this Best of Bach series was released. This presented three guitarists, each in a different setting: Ana Vidović, Zuzanna Bonarska, and Sandel Redžić.

The last of the three performances was the lengthiest, consisting of two movements from the BWV 1004 solo violin partita in D minor: Sarabanda and Ciaccona. Most readers probably know that the first of these was much shorter than the second. Thus, while the Sarabanda was less than five minutes, the Ciaccona clocked in at over fifteen.

The latter is particularly challenging, not only for its duration but also for the journey through an extensive number of dispositions, all of which elaborate on a common bass line. Like many, I have been familiar with the music that Bach composed for this movement for some time; and I have enjoyed listening to it in a diversity of settings. That said, I still came away impressed by not only Redžić’s command of technique but also his ability to capture that sense of journey through dispositions.

Nevertheless, while this was a major undertaking, it did not overshadow the efforts of the other two guitarists. Bonarska performed David Russell’s arrangement of what is probably Bach’s most familiar chorale prelude. It first appeared as the fourth movement (“Zion hört die Wächler singen,” “Zion hears the watchman singing”) from the BWV 140 cantata, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (awake, calls the voice to us), which was later transcribed as BWV 645, the first of the six “Schübler” chorales for solo organ. Bonarska’s command of the interplay between the hymn theme and the elaborate accompaniment could not have been clearer or more engaging.

Vidović concluded the opening set with all four movements of the BWV 1001 solo violin sonata in G minor. This was preceded by the first two movements of the BWV 1013 partita in A minor for solo flute: Allemande and Corrente. Since each of the six movements had its own rhetorical structure, the entire set had an overall integrated structure of its own.

Taken as a whole, this “synthesized performance” was definitely a satisfying journey worth taking!