Bach In Blythburgh I

Phantasm viol consort Sean Shibe guitar Bach arr. Mozart Fugues K405 Bach Lute Suite in A minor BWV 997 Bach The Art of Fugue (excerpts) Bach didn’t specify an exact instrumentation for his mighty collection of fugues. But Phantasm’s performances make a compelling case for transporting the music back to the unique colours and textures of an instrumental combination that would have been unfamiliar to the composer, the viol consort. They inject both air and weight, evoking lofty grandeur and warm intimacy with sustained lines, expressive elasticity and a clarity that allows Bach’s contrapuntal invention truly to take flight. They divide the work between a pair of festival concerts (3pm & 10pm), each including music originally written for lute performed by one of today’s leading guitarists and framed by Mozart’s graceful arrangements of other Bach fugues, those unequivocally written for keyboard.