21/03/2000

I'm spending this evening of JSBs birthday enjoying, rather awestruck,
McCreesh's big JSB, et.  al., Epiphany Mass, and the 6+1 harpsichord
Partitas and new Goldberg Variations, as performed by Blandine Verlet,
all of which arrived today.  As always, I marvel at such a talent who
could compose at Sebastian Bach's, or anyone elses', pace, with such
unerringly consistent good taste.  To those of us who in some sense
'belong' to JSB, as performers or as hearers only, even after 315 years,
he is the great musical bard and architect of drama and beauty, whose
themes, subjects, inventions, encyclopedic knowledge and stunning
intelligence will remain our 'tuning fork' and promise of good things in
the music that is yet to appear.  His art and impeccably good taste are
to us who love him a possession forever [ktema es aiei].  If, G-d willing
we are granted to maintain decent performance resources, this corpus of
excellence will also be with us and will never let us down.  Quaerendo
Invenietis!

"Philip Collins" <[log in to unmask]>