Forget running marathons–Ysenda Maxtone Graham has become addicted to a 12-year project that aims to perform all of the composer’s vocal works
In this craze for -athons, my favourite is the Bachathon. You simply can’t have too much Johann Sebastian Bach, as anyone who remembers Radio 3’s ‘Bach Experience’ from a few years ago will agree—his music was broadcast non-stop for six days and nights. It was paradise, if your idea of paradise is wall-to-wall Bach.
You could drive to the supermarket and put the car radio on: a Brandenburg Concerto. Wake up in the middle of the night and switch on the radio: a chorale prelude. The astonishing thing about Bach was that he didn’t compose any duds among his 1,128 works.
There’s something about the sublimity and profuseness of his music that inspires people to challenge themselves to perform or record it in bulk. At the top of my birthday wish-list is Deutsche Grammophon’s new box set, Bach 333, released for the 333rd anniversary of his birth (last year). With 222 CDs and 280 hours of his music, it would be my desert-island luxury and solace and well worth the £403 price tag.
This story is from the April 10, 2019 edition of Country Life UK.
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This story is from the April 10, 2019 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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A Nose for Nature -With an uncanny ability to detect elusive species in the wild, dogs are poised to play a vital role in conservation and biosecurity.
Ꮓiba seems to be the perfect colleague: hard-working, efficient and fun to be around. However, Ziba isn't a person; she's a conservation detection dog, especially trained to sniff out the presence of rare bats and birds. The sixyear-old German shorthaired pointer is one of an increasing number of dogs helping to conserve wildlife. Similar to sniffer dogs employed to detect drugs or explosives, these detection dogs are using their extraordinary sense of smell to identify anything from great crested newts to pine martens.
Duck and Cover - With a comical and heart-warming call, the eider or 'cuddy duck' is a convivial bird that was highly favoured and protected by Northumberland's patron saint, says
Anyone who has spent time on the rugged, castle-fringed coast of Northumberland will be familiar with the call of the eider duck. The male emits a fluty 'ahoooh' that sounds amazed and a little censorious. The female responds with a throaty cackle-Dame Barbara Windsor to the drake's Kenneth Williams, if you like. There's something good humoured, fond and comforting in the eiders' calling. It evokes feelings of nostalgia even in those hearing it for the first time.
Not to be sneezed at
The ritual and performance of snuff, the 'titillating dust' that has fuelled creativity and enhanced social situations since the 16th century, is still popular today, discovers
Where her tears fell, asters grew
Small-flowered asters, with their quiet beauty and clouds of starry blooms, are the final shout of autumn, advises
You had me at Merlot
The British wine industry is growing at a rate of Nebuchadnezzars, altering the palate of the countryside market, finds
And they're off!
Four historic country houses with long-standing racing credentials come to the market in prime sporting areas of Berkshire and Oxfordshire
Hooked on classics
A new generation of designers is learning the language of Greek and Roman architecture, finds
England at its best
The Exmoor National Park Authority is celebrating its 70th birthday. Kate Green recounts what makes this 'high country of the winds', of deer, dark skies, tough ponies and resilient farmers, so special
Once upon a time in the west
Having returned to the fabled Grimersta lochs and streams of Lewis for the first time in 40 years, our correspondent finds himself reliving the glory
Meet the tusk force
The Chinese water deer, with its distinctive tusks and delicious venison, has thrived here since escaping from deer parks in the 19th century. Paula Lester stalks one for her supper
