| As a harpsichordist, organist and conductor, Ton Koopman is one of the few musicians who can perform most of Bach’s works. Only those for unaccompanied melodic instruments (flute, violin and cello) fall entirely outside his purview. And he has fully seized the opportunities that this versatility offers him. He has already performed - and recorded - all of Bach’s organ music, and covered substantial parts of the keyboard, chamber, choral and orchestral repertoire. In 1995, he commenced perhaps his most ambitious project - the recording of Bach’s complete cantatas, both sacred and secular, for the Erato label. Despite the project’s artistic success, its completion was threatened when Warner, Erato’s parent company, pulled the plug on the series. This decision was all the more frustrating since it came when the project was already more than half-finished. Koopman, however, was undeterred. When he announced Warner’s decision, his statement included a commitment to find some way to see the project through to the end. When we met, in December 2002, news was already spreading about the project’s forthcoming rejuvenation. Our interview naturally focused, therefore, on issues related to Bach’s vocal music - its performance and its meaning. |
|
|
|