“Pure Musical Geometry.”
-The Telegraph
A playful look inside the master’s final work
Bach’s last expression of his genius is opened from within to illuminate the finest musical brain in history. Four actors join a flexible early music ensemble for a new surprising look at Bach in all his contradictions, both whimsical and haunting, mathematical yet full-blooded.
Commissioned by The Academy of Ancient Music, Bach’s Art of Fugue is a new work of concert-theatre designed for early music ensembles everywhere.
World Premiere Cambridge, UK, and London’s Barbican, 2025.
“Lofty and gravely beautiful…The real surprise was the four actors who shared the stage with the musicians.
“The scriptwriter of their discourse, writer and actor Bill Barclay, clearly has a deep knowledge of the piece and of Bach’s biography. He framed these mini-arguments as encounters between four ‘types’.
“All this was good…and anchored the conversation in reality.”
-The Telegraph
“I loved that there were funny and quirky moments; it was so engaging. I loved that there were some young folks in the audience. I loved that my genius, inventor brother (who played Bach on the organ in his teens, and with whom I sang two part inventions for fun when we were kids!) was delighted and surprised by the performance.”
-Audience Member
Image credit Mark Allan
