There are some classical melodies that everyone has heard when making a phone call to an administrative office or company. Played on a loop to keep you waiting, they might be excerpts from Antonio Vivaldi’s “Spring,” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” or the “Aria” from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orchestral Suite no. 3 in D major. So, here it is, that “Aria,” played at the beginning of the musical show Come Bach, presented at the Lucernaire music venue, in Paris, until January 12. A voice says, “You’ve reached the company Come Bach International, we’re doing our best to ease your wait.” A few eccentric instructions follow.
After this mischievous joke the lights go up, and we discover, on stage, singer Anne Baquet, pianist Claude Collet (alternating with Christine Fonlupt), Ariane Bacquet (alternating with Anne Regnier) on oboe and English horn and Jeanne Bonnet (alternating with Amandine Dehant) on double bass. These talented women musicians take us on a (re)discovery of Bach’s “hits” and, beyond that, his influence on several songs. There’s humor in their gestures and attitudes, virtuosity in the performance, which are precise and full of respectful joy, musical emotion, and journeys, when an air from Asia or a distant Eastern European country is inserted into the piece, or even a touch of jazz.
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