Masterpieces of Sorrow and Joy: The Life and Works of J.S. Bach
Thursdays in Fall 2018 Begins October 4 10:15- Noon
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Dominican University at Novato Unity Campus
Johann Sebastian Bach lived a life that truly encompassed the heights and depths of human experience. Orphaned at nine, unappreciated by his employers and often beset by rejection (the Brandenburg Concertos were a failed job application), his life was a tapestry of beauty, devotion and sorrow. Though he buried the majority of his twenty children before dying blind at 65, Bach never lost the capacity for joy,. His life--and his music--stands as a powerful lesson and source of inspiration for us all during troubled times. In this six week lecture-performance series, we will explore some of his greatest keyboard masterworks through live musical performances, discovering the symbolism and hidden secrets of some of the most soulful music every penned.
October 4: The Brilliant Beginnings of J.S. Bach The organ works: Toccata, Passacaglia, organ chorales
October 11: Concertos at Cothen Italian Concerto Keyboard Concertos
October 18: Loss and Sorrow Violin Partita in d minor
October 25: Love and (Re-) Marriage and Children French Suite No. 5 in G Major The Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach
November 1: Dancing and Drinking Partita No. 1 in Bb Major Zimmermann’s Coffeehouse The Goldberg Variations
November 8: A Well Tempered Life The Well Tempered Clavier