Colonial Australians may have struggled with JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion, but the composer’s music quickly found a following Down Under. He is now acknowledged as a genius, of course, but was there something about his rebellious nature, reflected in his music, that appealed to audiences here? A cosmological connection perhaps? Steve Dow talks to musicians and musicologists about why Australians can’t get enough of Bach. (Including ARCO’s performance with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs of the Bach/Mendelsson ‘St Matthew Passion’ on 17 April in the Sydney Opera House).
Steve Dow, Limelight
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