Bach's Birthday: From Brandenburg to Magnificat

Nashville Symphony & Chorus | Tucker Biddlecombe, chorus director 

Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21, 1685. After his death in 1750, his music fell into near obscurity until a 20-year-old Felix Mendelssohn conducted a revival concert in 1829 that changed the course of music history.

Tonight we celebrate the composer the world almost lost. The evening spans the full range of Bach's genius: the Brandenburg Concertos No. 2 and No. 3, with their dazzling interplay of instruments; the achingly beautiful Prelude from the Cello Suite No. 1; the Toccata and Fugue in D minor — one of the most instantly recognizable pieces ever written, heard in everything from Fantasia to Halloween soundtracks; the stately grandeur of the Suite No. 3 with its famous Air; and the beloved "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

The evening culminates in the Magnificat: Bach's most jubilant choral work, a blazing setting of Mary's song of praise for chorus, soloists, trumpets, and full orchestra. Nashville Symphony Chorus Director Tucker Biddlecombe conducts.