Few musical works are as loved - and as often performed - as the six "Brandenburg" Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach. These six works (BWV 1046-1051) display a lighter side of Bach's imperishable genius. Yet they came into being as an unexpected gift. That's what happened in 1721 when Bach presented the Margrave of Brandenburg with a bound manuscript containing six lively concertos for chamber orchestra, works based on an Italian Concerto Grosso style. The Margrave never thanked Bach for his work - or paid him! There's no way he could have known that this unnamed gift (later named the Brandenburg Concertos 150 years later when Bach's biographer, Philipp Spitta called them that for the very first time, and the name stuck) would become a benchmark of Baroque music and still have the power to move people almost three centuries later. The Concerto No. 3 in G Major seems to make its own guidelines. It strays from the usual Concerto Grosso pattern in that, technically, there is no actual solo; the nine stringed instruments -- three violins, three violas, three cellos (supported by a continuo group of bass and harpsichord) -- function sometimes as three solid units, sometimes simply as nine individual voices, engaging in a variety of combinations. The central theme of the opening movement revolves around a three-note figure that drops to the lower neighbour note and then returns to the starting pitch. This musical cell cascades through the string parts, highlighting the inherent equality among the voices in Bach's scoring. While the 1st movement has no tempo indication, it is usually performed at Allegro or Allegro moderato. Even though he didn't call them the "Brandenburgs," originally, Bach still thought of them as a set. What he did was compile them from short instrumental sinfonias and concerto movements he had already written. Then he re-worked the old music, often re-writing and elaborating where he saw fit. In doing so, Bach created something of a dramatic arc from the brilliant first concerto to the last, which evokes a spirited chase. Bach even later reworked components of the Brandenburgs into other compositions: the 1st movement of Concerto no. 1 can also be found as the Sinfonia to Cantata 52 and its 3rd movement was used as the opening Chorus of Cantata 207. The Sinfonia to Cantata 174 is a reworking of the 1st movement of the 3rd Brandenburg with the addition of three oboes and two horns. The 4th Brandenburg was used as the last of his set of 6 harpsichord concertos, the concerto for harpsichord, two recorders and strings in F major, BWV 1057. In 1968 Wendy Carlos released "Switched-On Bach" which was to become the most influential "electronic" (not to be confused with the modern "electronica" genre) classical recording of all time, winning the 1969 Grammys in three categories. The album was also one of the first "classical" recordings to go Gold. She is considered to be the pioneer in bridging the gap between classical and synthesized music. The album received a mixed reaction at the time of its release, however. Some critics reviled it for trivializing the work of one of the most revered classical composers of all time, but others were excited by the freshness of the sound and the virtuosity that went into its creation. Regardless of the negative reviews, the album caught the public attention and sold better than anyone had expected. The rest as they say, is history! I first heard "Switched-On Bach" in grade 7 (1972) when my music teacher played the 1st movement of the 3rd Brandenburg and asked us to count and name all the instruments. I was completely blown away by the sound and was utterly amazed to learn that there was only one instrument being played: the Moog Synthesizer. Later that night I went out to purchase my first classical album and my most favourite recording (and classical genre, Baroque) of all time. This is what inspired me to take piano lessons and to go further (discovering my other beloved addiction, the music of Isao Tomita) and delve into music arrangement, orchestration and synthesis. In complete homage to Wendy's original realization, I have used all "hand-tuned" digital VST synthesizers to come up with the vintage analog modular sounds. This is not a duplication of her work, but is my humble re-imagining of her voices and timbres. This work is significantly important to me and to quote George Bernard Shaw, "Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery - it's the sincerest form of learning." As always, the use of headphones will greatly enhance the listening experience.

• published: 16 Oct 2013
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