Bach Collegium Japan

[Mulboyne]

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BBC Radio recently broadcast a 30 minute programme on the Bach Collegium Japan. You can still listen to it here for a few more days. It's a fascinating story of how Masaaki Suzuki was determined to put together a top class Japanese ensemble to perform the works of Bach. European audiences doubted that Japanese had the sensibilities to interpret the work of such a seminal composer at a meaningful level and Suzuki describes how he was dismissed as "Bach in kimono". One critic claimed their German pronunciation was terrible. Suzuki started in 1990 and, despite such scepticism, went on to establish the BCJ as one of the world's leading baroque musical ensembles, some would say the best. German audiences sometimes find their pronunciation to be clearer than some local performers.

[Russell]

Interesting link, they are great musicians, but I got annoyed by all those references to the Christian faith as being essential to understanding J.S.Bach's music. The BBC is supposedly not associated with any religion. isn't it?

[Takechanpoo]

No need for Japanese or the other Asian to play European classic music. They are stinky taints in sublime European Classic like Japanese or the other tourists in traditional European townscapes. There are no ones played by them in my classical piano or harpsichord solo collections.

[Coligny]

No need for Japanese or the other Asian to play European classic music. They are stinky taints in sublime European Classic like Japanese or the other tourists in traditional European townscapes. There are no ones played by them in my classical piano or harpsichord solo collections.

Dood, you ok ?

[Russell]

Dood, you ok ?

Takechan is a "purist".

[Mulboyne]

The BBC is supposedly not associated with any religion. isn't it?

The BBC charter calls for the corporation to reflect religious belief in the country. This wasn't a specifically religious programme but it was broadcast on a Sunday.