The Chronicle Review Corner

This is for anyone who wanders round garden centres thinking a nice New Age CD based on whale noises captured at a holistic cetacean sanctuary by Terry Oldfield and turned into bland and unsatisfying music would be good, were it not for the fact that he’s made 800 other CDs that all sound the same, and your friends will laugh at you. This is Bach, so this is classy music for people wanting to achieve a sense of calm (or sense of clam maybe, if you’re a whale). The sleeve notes even cite Immanuel Kant.

Bach produced several gentle and peaceful works and many of these are here, collected by pianist Jonathan Phillips. “This CD contains music for anyone hoping to gain an overriding sense of stillness, calm, contemplation and reverence. Bach’s music has radiance, luminosity, divinity, serenity, and timeless beauty,” say the sleeve notes, and that about does the review for us. Thank you and goodbye.

The programme contains a selection of original Bach compositions and transcriptions, including one transcription by Bach himself on a melody by Marcello. There are two organ pieces, and the opening movement of one of Bach’s Cantatas.

Notes the pianist: “In my view, they all work extremely well on the modern piano. I am convinced JS Bach would have approved of the modern Steinway concert grand piano on which this CD was recorded.”

It is indeed calming and relaxing, and in places there’s a sense of proportion, probably introduced by the fact that Bach wrote music in praise of God and there’s a certain religious immensity in places.

It’s also got a nice organic feel: the sleeve notes say that two complete performances were recorded at St John the Evangelist Church in Oxford, “and that was pretty much that”.

—Jeremy Condliffe