Concert : Bl!Ndman Plays Bach

The talented Belgian group Bl! Ndman takes up an incredible challenge here: to transcribe Bach's most famous organ works for the saxophone. Sensuality of timbres, rhythmic joy, richness of intonation, the different voices of the organ are so well distributed between the tessitura of the four saxes that they wonderfully reinforce the brilliant aspect of the sonatas, toccatas and other passacaglia of the famous Cantor of Leipzig.

Transcribing Bach's most famous organ works for saxophone required all the talent of the Belgian group Bl! Ndman to take up this incredible challenge. Founded in 1988 by Eric Sleichim, this quartet adept at 'cross-over' very quickly left the classical framework to explore both contemporary and medieval music, thus forging an international reputation in the process.
In the seventeenth century, the organ developed orchestral proportions, which the former Cantor of Leipzig happily seized. Sonatas, toccatas and other passacaglia, all testify to an inexhaustible wealth of genres, forms and styles, which are offered to the wide spectrum covered by each of the saxophones: soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. These works reveal here all the richness of their polyphonic writing in a sound palette as warm as it is unexpected, the instruments uniting in a sound surprisingly close to that of the organ.
Carried by a sober and immersive staging, the musicians' interpretation offers a kaleidoscopic view of the sound material. The sounds circulate, respond to each other and envelop the audience, opening a new perspective on Bach's work. Sensuality of timbres, rhythmic joy, richness of intonation, the different voices of the organ are so well distributed between the tessitura of the sax, that they reinforce the brilliant aspect of Bach's compositions and offer them, with this surprising concert, a new coloring.

Show less