Richard Tognetti has been at the helm of the Australian Chamber Orchestra since late 1989. Over those years, we have heard his Bach frequently. “To a musician,” he has often declared, “Bach is God.” Tognetti has performed and recorded the concertos, the Brandenburgs, the chamber music, the masses, the sonatas for solo violin. Can there be anything else?

Well, yes.

In the current touring program, the ACO explores many branches of the Bach family tree of composers, beautifully laid out in an extended essay by Nicholas Kenyon, the acclaimed author of the Faber Pocket Guide to Bach (2011). The ACO also presents a selection of composers who were influenced by JSB. There are literally hundreds more JSB tributes, many of which the ACO has presented in recent seasons, including Kurtág and Brett Dean. Nearly all, of course, cite his signature motif, B flat – A  – C – B natural (H), in German musical spelling.

Richard Tognetti and Satu Vänskä performing in the Australian Chamber Orchestra's Bach program, June 2022. Photo © Julian Kingma. Richard Tognetti and Satu Vänskä performing in the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Bach program, June 2022. Photo © Julian...