Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20070507 | Donald Macleod is joined by period performer and scholar Ton Koopman, who has decided to dedicate the next five years of his life to recording every note of Buxtehude's music. They examine the composer's wide-ranging duties during his time in Lubeck, which included not only playing the organ but also repairing it, and even keeping the town's birth and death records. Wacht! Euch zum Strei gefasset macht, BuxWV Anh3 (Act III, Freude! Lufft! Wind! Dampff! Kampff! Wasser! Schnee!) Amsterdam Baroque Choir and Orchestra Ton Koopman (conductor/continuo) Prelude and Chaconne in C, BuxWV 137 Ton Koopman (organ) Jubilate Domino, BuxWV 64 Andreas Scholl (countertenor) Members of Concerto di Viole Basel Consort Trio Sonata in D minor, Op 1 No 6 Manfredo Kraemer (violin) Juan Manuel Quintana (viola da gamba) Dane Roberts (violine) Dirk Borner (harpsichord) Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BuxWV 207 Piet Kee (organ) Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BuxWV 78 (Cantata) Collegium Vocale Orchestra Anima Eterna The Royal Consort Jos van Immerseel (conductor). |
| 02 | 20070508 | Period performer and scholar Ton Koopman joins Donald Macleod to explore Buxtehude's dazzling talents as a keyboard player. Among the highlights is Buxtehude's longest instrumental work, an astonishing harpsichord piece that might well have influenced Bach's Goldberg Variations. Canzonetta in A minor, BuxWV 225 Lars Ulrik Mortensen (harpsichord) Praeambulum in A minor, BuxWV 158 Bine Bryndorf (organ of St Mary's Church, Helsingborg) Prelude in G minor, BuxWV 149 Ton Koopman (organ) Der Herr ist mit mir (Cantata, BuxWV 15) Collegium Vocale Orchestra Anima Eterna The Royal Consort Jos van Immerseel (conductor) La Capricciosa, BuxWV 250 Ton Koopman (harpsichord). |
| 03 | 20070509 | On the 300th anniversary of the composer's death, Donald Macleod is joined by period performer and scholar Ton Koopman to explore how deftly Buxtehude managed to steer his career down a hazardous road at a time when the city of Lubeck was a challenging location for a church composer. Religious intolerance was rife and the underground Pietist movement was increasingly challenging the authority of the Lutheran establishment. Cantata III Ad manus (Membra Jesu Nostri) Members of The Sixteen The Symphony of Harmony and Invention Harry Christophers (conductor) Wie schon leuchtet der Morgenstern, BuxWV 223 Ton Koopman (organ) O frohliche Stunden, BuxWV 84 Emma Kirkby (soprano) John Holloway and Manfredo Kraemer (violins) Jaap ter Linden (viola da gamba) Lars Ulrik Mortensen (harpsichord) Nun komm der Heiden Heiland, BuxWV 211 In dulci Jubilo, BuxWV 197 Suite for keyboard in C, BuxWV 226 Ton Koopman (harpsichord). |
| 04 | 20070510 | Donald Macleod explores Buxtehude's fascination with counterpoint, astronomy and the beauty of numbers with period performer and musicologist Ton Koopman, who recently embarked on an ambitious project to record every surviving note of the composer's music. Fugue in C, BuxWV 174 Ton Koopman (organ) Canzona in C, BuxWV 166 Lars Ulrik Mortensen (harpsichord) Mit Fried und Freud ich Fahr Dahin, BuxWV 76 (Cantata) Jonathan Peter Kenny (counter-tenor) Stephan MacLeod (bass) Collegium Vocale Orchestra Anima Eterna The Royal Consort Jos van Immerseel (conductor) Prelude in F sharp minor, BuxWV 146 Trio Sonata in E, Op 2 No 6 John Holloway (violin) Jaap ter Linden (viola da gamba) Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein, BuxWV 210 (Chorale fantasia) |
| 05 LAST | 20070511 | When Bach made his famous trip to Lubeck it was for a special occasion, one of the Abendmusiken which Buxtehude was responsible for promoting as composer, performer and impresario. Period performer Ton Koopman joins Donald Macleod to recreate the atmosphere of one of these famed musical occasions which included dazzling surround-sound effects from the cathedral's numerous balconies. Wacht! Euch zum Strei gefasset macht, BuxWV Anh3 (Act I, Wacht! Euch zum Strei gefasset macht) Amsterdam Baroque Choir and Orchestra Ton Koopman (conductor/continuo) Benedicam Dominum, BuxWV 113 Ton Koopman (conductor) Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott, BuxWV 199 Bine Bryndorf (organ) Wacht! Euch zum Strei gefasset macht, BuxWV Anh3 (Act 3) Caroline Stam, Orlanda Velez Isidro, Johannette Zomer (sopranos) Robin Blaze (countertenor) Andreas Karasiak (tenor) Klaus Mertens (bass) Toccata and Fugue in F, BuxWV 157 Ton Koopman (organ). |