Mar 5, 2020
Bach fans: you won’t want to miss this incredible performance of Brandenburg 6, headed by Shunske Sato. I only realised today that he also played viola. This Concerto is remarkable for its lack of violins, with violas playing the lead parts using Bach’s signature contrapuntal style. I read somewhere that this piece could be considered as a pioneer in viola repertoire. As we know from CPE Bach, when in a chamber music setting, Bach chose to play viola. This was so that he could hear both sides of the harmony. Small wonder then, that he wrote great works and parts for the violas. For one such example, listen to his opening movement for the St. John Passion.