Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
We played the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by Johann Sebastian Bach with conductor Leon Botstein in a livestreamed, physically distanced concert from the Fisher Center at Bard on February 7, 2021. In her notes on the concerto, TŌN violist Celia Daggy says that she enjoys “the blending of tradition with innovation” in classical music, and that Bach “is indeed a master at combining the two,” especially in this piece. “A concerto is typically a soloist ‘versus’ orchestra, but in Brandenburg 3 there is no individual soloist. Instead, each instrument is a soloist AND part of the orchestra. Brandenburg 3 features a first, second, and third part each of violins, violas, and cellos, accompanied by bass and harpsichord for a total of 11 unique parts.” You can read Celia’s full concert notes by clicking here.