Starting the new year with Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the most skilled arrangers of his own works. Whether for pragmatic reasons or because he enjoyed parody or transcription—through him, the use of existing musical material took on new significance. 

Among his many “recycled” works is the Harpsichord Concerto BWV 1055, originally composed for the oboe d’amore. Playing it on a modern grand piano is a conscious decision by Kit Armstrong to realize his own artistic vision. In France, the pianist, harpsichordist, organist, and composer—who is also interested in mathematics and artificial intelligence—calls a former Art Deco-style church his own, where regular concerts and festivals take place. With his version of Bach’s chorales and cantatas, as well as the sonata by Johann Christian, the “London” son of Bach, which was so influential for the development of the genre, he sheds light on new facets, for as a musician with a spirit of inquiry, he is “always in search of sounds that cannot be forgotten.”