ACO StudioCasts: Bach and the Beyond
At a time when we are all grappling with finding trust in this new world and hope for the future, it is astonishing how relevant Bach remains. This evocative and impassioned concert film pitches Bach’s timeless search for redemption alongside compositions by Richard Tognetti, elevated by the mesmerising vocals of Satu Vänskä.
Bach’s Ricercar from The Musical Offering, with guest flautist Emmanuel Pahud, is a tumultuous six-part fugue tinged with personal anguish, while his Erbarme dich from the St Matthew Passion, yearns for comfort in a heart-rending cello solo by ACO Principal Timo-Veikko Valve.
There is a natural connection with excerpts from our 2012 film, The Reef, in particular Beyond, which was inspired by Tognetti seeing images of underwater swimmers seemingly caught in the “troubled peace” between life and death.
Lest the afterlife feel placid and safe, Deviance, Tognetti’s re-imagining of Paganini’s Caprice No.24, suggests the world beyond could be happily devilish too.
