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Tag: Johann Sebastian Bach

Bach 500 Drive Celebrate Bach Month!

Drivers, start your engines!

If you haven’t heard yet, the Bach 500 is underway.

March is “Bach Month” on The Classical Network. In celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach (on March 21st, 1685), we’re looking for 500 listeners to step up and make a donation IN ANY AMOUNT. You set the level. When we reach 500 donations, we’ll tally in the funds from our Bach Pot – contributions solicited in advance from some especially ardent supporters – and, best of all, we’ll be able to cancel fundraising on Bach’s birthday and enjoy just his music.

You can do your part to make that happen by calling us during business hours at 1-888-232-1212, or by donating online anytime at wwfm.org. While you’re over there, at the website, you can monitor our progress by consulting our Bach 500 membership thermometer. You don’t have to worry about blowing our engines. Your donation is like a blast of nitrous oxide, but we’re definitely built for speed.

PLEASE NOTE: This year, the Big Day actually falls on a Saturday, so we will celebrate with a full day of Bach on Friday, March 20.

To keep us mindful, this afternoon I’ll be offering hourly reminders, harnessed to a short work of Bach; then another work in some way related – for example, one of the Preludes and Fugues of Dmitri Shostakovich (influenced by the “Well-Tempered Klavier”) – followed by something related to the related material, which ideally will have nothing at all to do with Bach, like a Glazunov symphony (Glazunov was a Shostakovich mentor). That will keep it varied, while still getting the message out there.

First, it’s another Noontime Concert, today featuring Tableau Vivant. The ensemble will present a program titled “Telemann in Paris.” Two of Georg Philipp Telemann’s “Paris” Quartets will flank a sonata by Michel Blavet.

The concert is another brought to us by Gotham Early Music Scene, or GEMS. GEMS is a non-profit corporation that supports and promotes artists and organizations in New York City devoted to Early Music. Free lunchtime concerts are held at the chapel of St. Bartholomew’s Church, 325 Park Avenue, in Midtown Manhattan, every Thursday at 1:15 p.m. To learn more about these and other GEMS events, look online at gemsny.org.

It’s music by Bach, from the time of Bach, inspired by Bach, and totally unrelated to Bach.

Please support it, and help us to cancel fundraising on March 20, by joining the Bach 500. We’re looking for your contribution in any amount at 1-888-232-1212 or wwfm.org.

Then enjoy the music. It’s Bach’s world; we just live in it, from 12 to 4 p.m. EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network.

March 3, 2020
Peter Schreier, Celebrated Tenor, Dies at 84

The great tenor Peter Schreier has died.

Schreier was born in Saxony in 1935. Though he continued to live in East Germany under Communist rule, he yet managed to achieve international success. He was especially praised for his lieder singing, though was also lauded for his work in some of the world’s great opera houses, where he appeared in works from Mozart to Wagner. Reportedly, Hans Pfitzner’s “Palestrina” was a particular favorite.

Schreier died on Christmas Day, a notable coincidence, considering he sang so much Christmas music throughout his career, beginning as a boy chorister in the Dresden Kreuzchor. When his voice broke at the age of 16, he continued to pursue his dream of becoming a tenor. He was especially desirous to tackle the Evangelist roles in the oratorios of Johann Sebastian Bach. At the time of his death, Schreier – who had also become a noted conductor – was 84 years-old.

We’ll remember him this afternoon on The Classical Network, by way of some of his recordings, alongside those of pianist Abbey Simon and chorus master Laszlo Heltay, both of whom we also lost within the past week. In addition, we’ll celebrate musical humorist Anna Russell and pianist, composer, and mordant wit Oscar Levant, on the anniversary of their births.

At 6:00, it’s another “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies. This week, with the turn of the year only days away, the theme is change and the passage of time.

Of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The parade of musical artistry continues, from 4 to 7 p.m. EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Schreier sings Peter Cornelius’ Christmas song, “The Kings,” from his Kreuzchor days:

Schreier sings Schubert’s “Ständchen” (Serenade):

Schreier conducts Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio”:

December 27, 2019
Bach 500 Help WWFM Unlock $17K Now

Help us to get our affairs in order. Be one of the last of the “Bach 500.” 500 listener contributions IN ANY AMOUNT will unlock the Bach Pot. That means NOW $17,000 in challenge money for the station, which will enable us to celebrate the genius of Johann Sebastian Bach without fundraising interruptions. We’ve got only about 130 contributions to go at this point. It’s hero time! Click on “donate” at wwfm.org, or call 1-888-232-1212.

Again, it doesn’t matter how much you give in order to be counted toward the 500. All that matters is that we reach 500 contributions. Once that happens, everything will be in its proper place. Restore order to our existence!

I’ll be on the air today from 3 to 5:00 p.m. EDT. Less talk and more music, that’s my motto. Help make it happen. Thank you for your support of WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org!

March 21, 2019
WWFM Bach 500 Campaign Nears Goal Donate Now

It’s a time of day when you’re probably thinking more about frittatas than cantatas. But before you head out for lunch, please take just a moment to provide a little nourishment for WWFM.

We are within the final 200 donations of our Bach 500 campaign. If you have not contributed, or if you are in a position to make an additional gift, your donation now will count toward the 500 we need in order to unlock the scrumptious Bach Pot.

YOU decide the amount that is right for you. It doesn’t matter how much you give; it just matters that we reach the quota: 500 contributions is the combination that will unlock our Bach Pot, which contains over $14,000. Once that happens, this campaign is at an end, and the Bach jukebox kicks into overdrive for the rest of the afternoon. Click on “donate” at wwfm.org, or call us at 1-888-232-1212.

You feed the body, and we’ll take care of the spirit – with the assistance of Johann Sebastian Bach, on his birthday. Enjoy a Bach’s lunch on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org. Thank you for your generous support!

March 21, 2019
Support Bach on WWFM

A good record store is hard to find these days, but Bach is yours at the touch of a button or the click of a mouse. Please support us in our quest for the “Bach 500.” We’re looking for your donation – in any amount – right now. Once we reach 500 listener contributions, we’ll be able to unlock the Bach Pot to the tune of $14,000 and bask in the glorious music of Johann Sebastian Bach, unencumbered by fundraising, for the rest of the day. Click on “donate” at wwfm.org, or call us at 1-888-232-1212. Thank you for your generous support of WWFM – The Classical Network. With your help, we’ll be Bach!

March 21, 2019

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