Now through October 25, Shakespeare Theatre Company presents Brian Cox in The Score. Set in the spring of 1747, composer Johann Sebastian Bach travels to the court of King Frederick the Great to tackle a musical challenge that pits his creativity against power and morality. Brian Cox, known for his role in HBO's Succession, is Bach in this drama based on true events. The musical challenge ends up being the masterpiece The Musical Offering.
The performance on October 2 will be WETA Night at STC. James Jacobs will be presenting a pre-show talk to introduce the music of The Musical Offering, showing an insight into the musical challenge of the piece that only Bach was able solve. James will also be hosting a post-show discussion with STC's dramaturg Drew Lichtenberg.
A Guided Tour of Bach's Musical Offering
The Musical Offering may be a new Bach masterpiece for many of us. We are thrilled to present a special program, A Guided Tour of Bach's Musical Offering, premiering on WETA Virtuoso on October 2 at noon. The program repeats on the following days below, and will also be available to stream October 2-31. Bookmark this page for the stream of the program.
A Guided Tour of Bach's Musical Offering Air Times
- October 2 at 12PM
- October 5 at 10AM
- October 8 at 9PM
- October 14 at 4PM
- October 18 at 2PM
When you attend any of the performances of The Score, you will be hearing music by Bach and his contemporaries throughout the lobby. The playlist has been compiled by WETA Classical, and can also be enjoyed below. A fun tidbit about this playlist - it consists of pieces based on composers and works mentioned throughout the play, with Bach’s Orchestral Suites and Brandenburg Concertos sprinkled in-between. People and features in the play and the playlist include:
- Bach in Leipzig
- CPE Bach Flute Concerto in A Minor
- Johann Quantz Flute Concerto in G Minor
- Franz Benda Violin Concerto in A Minor
- Heinrich Graun’s opera Cleopatra (he also wrote flute concertos for the king)
- Bach's St. Matthew Passion
- Frederick the Great (who also composed symphonies and flute concertos)
- King’s theme (Musical Offering)
- Bach Italian Concerto
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