Bach - The Art of Fugue BWV 1080 - Sato | Netherlands Bach Society

Bach’s The Art of Fugue is shrouded in mystery. We don’t know whether Bach intended the music as material for practice or performance. The order of the 18 sections is unclear as well and we don’t know whether the piece was ever completed.

Shunske Sato made his own instrumentation for the Netherlands Bach Society. “I wanted to bring out the many colours of the work and of my ensemble. Every fugue has its own character. On the basis of the rhythm, time and chromatic lines, etc., you can determine which instrument is most suitable. I’ve studied each part very carefully, in order to decide which instruments are best to use. I wanted the whole Netherlands Bach Society to be heard, so the singers are taking part as well. They sing without words, to vowel sounds. When you introduce singers to the Art of Fugue, you can hardly ignore the example of the Swingle Singers. The sung Contrapunctus 9 is intended as a tribute to their great recording."

Netherlands Bach Society
Shunske Sato, violin and direction

0:00 Contrapunctus 1
3:35 Contrapunctus 2
7:18 Contrapunctus 3
10:16 Contrapunctus 4
15:02 Chorale
15:46 Contrapunctus 5
19:23 Contrapunctus 6
23:27 Contrapunctus 7
27:13 Chorale
27:52 Contrapunctus 8
33:56 Contrapunctus 9
36:55 Contrapunctus 10
41:42 Contrapunctus 11
48:05 Chorale
48:47 Contrapunctus inversus a 4 (forma inversa)
50:42 Contrapunctus inversus a 4 (forma recta)
52:37 Contrapunctus inversus a 3 (forma recta)
55:00 Contrapunctus inversus a 3 (forma inversa)
57:23 Chorale
58:01 Canon alla Ottava
1:00:48 Canon alla Decima in Contrapunto alla Terza
1:05:40 Canon alla duodecima in contrapunto alla Quinta
1:08:17 Canon per Augmentationem in contrario motu
1:16:15 Chorale
1:17:37 Fuga a 3 soggetti (reconstruction Kees van Houten/Leo van Doeselaar)

[displaychicken]

It’s incredible that this channel exists

[joecunningham]

Unreal. This channel has managed to completely take over my life. I'm completely obsessed with Bach

[davidriggenbach]

Bach would have been SO PROUD of this magnificent recording...

[davidhancock]

I've been waiting a long time wondering when NBS was going to do The Art Of Fugue and how they were going to do it. I'm absolutely stunned, just speechless. So much consideration and planning involved in the performance of each number. The inclusion of vocalists is a masterstroke. It pays homage to Bach's insistence that, if the human voice is an instrument, then singers are expected to express every note and passage an instrumentalist would, no matter how technically challenging. It also makes me feel less of a twat walking down the street subconsciously dabadabadoing Bach's tunes out loud. The completion of the triple fugue at the end is utterly fantastic.
If the Mass In B Minor is Bach's ultimate statement of faith then BWV 1080 is his last will and testament to how music composition is done. This performance is simply bewildering for its originality and variety. Every player in the ensemble is a worthy exponent of that artist who channelled the harmony of the spheres for the edification of humankind. Shunske Sato cements his position as the rightful successor to Van Veldhoven in directing the Netherlands Bach Society.
A total triumph. Thank you so much.

[naitoyoshihiro]

This is the first time I've heard of this kind of The Art of Fugue. The idea of starting this piece with human voices is wonderful.

[mysticmouse]

Whoever said the Art of the Fugue was dry paper music is missing a soul. I can't stop the tears.

[artoffugue]

Die Kunst der Fuge is, in my (correct) opinion, the greatest musical work ever written by a human.

[feinberg]

Not even a minute has passed and I'm already tearing up. Bach is surreal.

[francoisbugaud]

J’imagine Mr J.S Bach un peu à l’écart, assis, écoutant le travail de la Netherlands Bach sous la direction de Sato, sur sa Fugue… surpris, peut-être choqué, ce qui n’est pas sûr, mais très vite amusé, séduit, car toute sa vivacité, son art est là ! Bravo et Merci à vous tous! Que c’est beau!

[ariadne]

What a wonderful, unexpected surprise! I am so thrilled that a complete cross-section of your musicians, including the vocalists, participated in the recording. I've always found Kunst der Fuge difficult to approach when considered against many of Bach's other works. Shunske Sato's arrangement here solves the problem in a thoroughly up-to-date manner. Thank you NBS! Refreshing, exceptional performance (and lighting), as always! You have made not just my day, but my whole month! ♥

[manfredmaruda]

Absolut großartige Interpretation. Ein Werk, das selbst eingefleischte Bachianer nicht so recht an sich heranlässt, wird plötzlich hörbar. Allein schon die Idee, den Eingangs-Contrapunctus a capella singen zu lassen, ist ein Hinhörer. Danke für diese Einspielung.

[dorothea]

Was für eine wunderschöne Überraschung, das schon immer geliebte Werk so neu und farbig zu hören und zu sehen! Vielen vielen Dank an die großartigen Musiker.

[ugolomb]

Initial response to hearing just first six fugues: This is beautiful, touching and thought-provoking, and very much emphasizes the expressive potential of this work without sacrificing the essential clarity. As a musicologist, I am convinced that Bach wrote this is as keyboard work; but as a listener, I usually prefer to hear ensemble performances, regardless of whether that reflects Bach's intention or not. I've heard and enjoyed many different arrangements, but I believe this is the first time I've heard voices introduced into the work. In the companion video, Sato says this vocal element makes the music more vulnerable, which I feel is true of the first fugue; but in the Stylo Francese fugue it actually creates a very different effect -- majestic, dramatic, almost terrifying. Either way, it enhances the humanity of the work. I look forward to hearing the rest soon.

[franslooy]

My life is too short to comprehend this masterpiece

[lgmr]

4h30 am in the morning : listening that stunning delivery of Bach to the World ! How to say thank you for that free online access to the Mentor's music : unbelievable !

[TheStockwell]

This is a daring and absolutely stunning achievement. The completion of the final fugue by Kees van Houten and Leo van Doeselaar is *very* convincing. Words fail . . .

[gerdwund]

lost of words! A whole new world in listening to this masterpiece is unfolding. Thank you so much NBS.

[buschiazzoantonino]

After having heard hundreds of versions of this work, and having played this music myself even in concerts, this audacious and pertinent interpretation has managed to motivate me to fully rediscover it. Congratulations to Sato and all those who participated in this new version of one of the greatest musical creations in history.

[KlimatorUzurpator]

Everytime i listen Bach i am amazed how great master he was.

[Musicienne-DAB]

I came, I saw, I listened. Astonishing, haunting! Well done to Shunske Sato and all the Netherlands Bach Society!