Bach - Buxtehude: The journey to Lübeck & Buxtehude's legacy

Bach - Buxtehude

The trip to Lübeck & the legacy of Buxtehude

After exploring Bach's early masterpieces last year and Buxtehude's vocal and instrumental music in October, it was logical and appealing to juxtapose, to compare Bach's organ pieces with potential models by Buxtehude...
In 1705, Bach, then stationed in Arnstadt, requested leave to travel to Lübeck to learn ‘one or two things about his art’. This 450-kilometre journey, travelled on foot, was supposed to last four weeks. He was criticised for having taken four times as long and for having, on his return, made all sorts of strange ‘variationes’ in the chorales and modulations that disturbed the congregation...
Buxtehude had experienced similar recriminations in St Mary's, but the city authorities decided, in view of their organist's reputation, to display the number of the chorales, because ‘almost no one could recognise the melody from the organ prelude’, and to set him free.
While there are no copies by Bach himself, the manuscripts produced by his close circle represent more than two thirds of the organ works by Buxtehude that have come down to us today. It is fascinating to discover his major influence in the language, forms and boldness of the pieces that Bach composed on his return and for a few years afterwards.
I will present the famous Passacaglia BWV 582 and Buxtehude's BuxWV 161, preludes and fugues, bold and splendidly ornamented chorales and grandiose pieces such as the ‘Dorian’ Toccata and Fugue and the Fantasy and Fugue BWV 542 which, while remaining anchored in this heritage, herald the freedom and boundless creativity of Bach in his maturity.
I look forward to welcoming you on this precious occasion to encounter these two geniuses and to listen to what the organ counts among its greatest masterpieces...