WKCR announces the annual Bach Festival 2018, which this year is the 40th anniversary of the BachFest tradition. For the eight-day period from 12:00 AM on December 24th through 12:00 AM on New Year’s Day, WKCR (89.9 FM and wkcr.org) will dedicate all broadcasting to the works of Johann Sebastian Bach.

This year’s BachFest will examine how performance practice has evolved over the past 100+ years—the time period during which Bach’s music has been recorded. Questions about how Bach should be interpreted have been hotly debated almost as long as it has been played. Cellist Steven Isserlis recently said on WKCR’s airwaves that “in the music world, mostly, the original instrument and the modern instrument worlds are coming together.” Though this may be true, interpretations of Bach remain as varied as ever, and we hope to shine light on the compositions by presenting them from as many different angles as possible.

BachFest 2018 will include the familiar voices of WKCR programmers, and will also feature special guests who will present Bach’s music in various forms. Teri Noel Towe, called “The American guru of Bach recordings” in Gramophone Magazine, will present extended programs on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on the concertos and the cantatas. Other programs will be contributed by distinguished presenters such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic Tim Page, harpsichordist Rebecca Pechefsky, cellist Louise Dubin, and others. We will feature new interviews by important Bach luminaries including violinist Hilary Hahn, conductor Lionel Meunier, and others to be announced.

A schedule of some major works is as follows:

Monday, December 24^th

12:00 Presentation on the Goldberg Variations by Glenn Gould

9:00 Teri Towe broadcast—concertos

6:00pm: Magnificat—E-flat version

Tuesday, December 25^th

9:00 am: Teri Tower broadcast—cantatas

6:00 pm: Christmas Oratorio

9:00 pm: Organ works

Wednesday, December 26^th

9:00am: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (Harpsichord)

3:00 pm: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2 (Harpsichord)

9:00 pm: St. John Passion

Thursday, December 27^th

9:00am Harpsichord concertos

12:00pm: Musical offering

3:00pm: Donald Meineke interview

6:00pm: Easter Oratorio

9:00pm: Goldberg Variations (piano)

Friday, December 28^th

9:00am: Lute suites

12:00: Cello suites on viola—live performance by Jay Julio

3:00: Keyboard works presentation by Rebecca Pachefsky

6:00pm: B Minor Mass (Karl Richter)

Saturday, December 29^th

9:00am: Well-Tempered Clavier, Books 1 and 2(piano)

3:00pm: Art of Fugue, Mahan Esfahani interview

6:00pm: Barbara Cadranel Interview

9:00pm: Cantata Request

Sunday, December 30^th

9:00am: Brandenburg Concertos

12:00pm: Goldberg Variations (harpsichord)

3:00pm: Cello Suites, presented by Louise Dubin

9:00pm: Ascension Oratorio

Monday, December 31^st

9:00am: New Year’s Day Cantatas, Motets, Interview with Lionel Meunier

12:00pm: Keyboard works

3:00pm: Solo violin music, Hilary Hahn interview

6:00pm Musical Offering

9:00pm: St. Matthew Passion

Schedule subject to change and will be available at www.wkcr.org