Our new album Bach’s Musical Offerings has been released! We celebrate our 35th anniversary with a collection of musical offerings from Johann Sebastian Bach, arranged by our saxophonist Raaf Hekkema.
Hekkema worked for almost ten years on the arrangement of Musikalisches Opfer, the main course of this programme. Arthur Klaassens joins us on a lupophone and english horn for this piece, as well as for the 14 Canons, BWV 1087, further expanding our sonic palette. The album concludes with Bach’s Canonic variations on Vom Himmel hoch. All nine know versions of the melody have found a place in Raafs arrangement, resulting in a many-coloured Christmas collage.
“Triumphant […] This music can seem really dry and academic, and it can look austere, but they play it with such joy.”
– BBC Radio 3, Iain Burnside –
From 11 October, we go on a concert tour for the album release.
Sun 11 Oct, 20.15, Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Amsterdam
Sat 17 Oct, 17.00 & 20.00, Academiehuis de Grote Kerk, Zwolle
Thu 22 Oct, 20.00, Grote Kerk, Naarden
Sun 25 Oct, 15.00, Laurenskerk, Rotterdam (cancelled)
Sat 31 Oct, 16.00 & 20.00, Grote Kerk, Breda
Sun 22 Nov, 15.00, ECI Cultuurfabriek, Roermond
Sun 7 Mar, 16.00, Stadsgehoorzaal Leiden
Calefax gives all wind playing fans the opportunity to play along with a track of the new album. From the Ricercar of Musikalisches Opfer, Calefax made six seperate recordings in which one of the instruments is missing. Wind players can download their part of the sheet music with an audio file in which this part is missing.
Bach’s Musical Offerings is now available in our web shop and on Spotify, iTunes and Primephonic.
