Trust organist extraordinaire Jörg Reddin to return to Santa Cruz with something remarkable up his sleeve. And this time, marking his second season as the Artistic Director of the SC Baroque Festival, Reddin is bringing two previously unidentified Bach works to premiere at the season opener on February 8th.
The works are called ciacone (chaconne). What are those you might ask? Well, it’s a long and winding road from 16th-century Spain, where explorers brought lively regional music back from the New World. The catchy melodies then arrived in Italy, where the style evolved into fashionable dance music. The two pieces developed by JS Bach were sprightly melodic outlines in 3/4 time—akin to passacaglia and partita forms—intended to erupt in an array of decorative inventions and variations. The Baroque era loved these compositions. And so did Bach.
How were these works brought to your attention?
J¨ORG REDDIN: In mid-October of this year, I received a request from the renowned Bach specialist Ton Koopman from the Netherlands to make video recordings. On the day of the recording, the musicologist Dr. Peter Wollny from the Bach Archive in Leipzig joined us and let me in on the secret that Peter Wollny had a copy of a manuscript for about 30 years, the original of which is in Brussels. It was previously attributed to a student of Georg Böhm—Johann Graff—who lived almost contemporaneously with Johann Sebastian Bach. When I play these pieces, they remind me very much of early chorale partitas by Johann Sebastian Bach as well as pieces by Georg Böhm. Purely stylistically, I am convinced of their attribution to Johann Sebastian Bach. They are undoubtedly early pieces, and at times they don’t sound like Bach, but Peter Wollny’s arguments are absolutely convincing to me. I am very much looking forward to playing these two new works attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach in the opening concert at the Baroque Festival in Santa Cruz.
You’re considered a virtuoso both as a vocalist and an organist. Do you have a preference, singing or playing?
I would say it’s a good balance. As a church musician, I’m very busy playing the organ. Singing in the choir brings me closer to the vocal part. In choir performances, I also sing solos and conduct. This allows me to continue developing my solo singing skills in front of an audience. Of course, I love singing the most and am always happy when I can do it. But I’m now highly regarded as an organist in Europe and internationally, so it’s important to cultivate all my gifts equally. Doing both at this level simultaneously isn’t always easy, but I believe I manage it quite well.
Since you left Santa Cruz last year?
Last year was quite busy. The Arnstadt Bach Choir celebrated its 100th anniversary. [Reddin is the 20th person to hold the very same position that JS Bach held from 1703-1707, making him a direct successor to Bach in Arnstadt.]
In June, we held a celebratory service, and in November, together with the Osaka Bach Choir from Japan, we performed Brahms’s German Requiem in St. Thomas Church in Leipzig and the Arnstadt Bach Church. Two weeks later, we performed a Handel ode and two cantatas from the Christmas Oratorio. In December, we had a major project performing Carl Orff’s Christmas Story, which required many rehearsals, and between December 24th and January 1st, I sang in ten church services and gave two concerts. It was a lot. I got through it well, but in the future, I need to make sure I take on one or two fewer projects to avoid losing my center—the source of my inspiration.
How does Santa Cruz compare to your region of Germany?
Santa Cruz reminds me a bit of Warnemünde on the Baltic Sea, where I spent my childhood and youth. The sea is milder than the ocean, but the bay is similar. There are lighthouses and even a small fairground, reminiscent of the Boardwalk. What I find particularly striking in Santa Cruz, and what I really like, is the mindset of the people. They are very open and relaxed. I’ve met many friendly people with a great zest for life. Sometimes, after six to eight weeks in Santa Cruz, the contrast is quite stark. It’s much colder in Germany, and people seem a bit more frustrated.
The Baroque Festival’s opening concert features maestro Reddin performing two newly discovered and authenticated Bach masterpieces, BWV 1178 and 1179, Feb. 8, 4pm at Holy Cross Church. And don’t miss the Fundraiser preview on Jan. 31, 4pm at Calvary Episcopal Church, 532 Center St., SC, featuring Reddin on organ with the Santa Cruz Brass Quintet performing works from the early Baroque. scbaroque.org
