The makers of Infinite Bach freely acknowledge their debt to composer Max Richter, whose Recomposed treatment of Vivaldi's Four Seasons violin concertos has been extraordinarily successful. Infinite Bach has hit the best-seller charts as well, and it is likely that listeners will see more attempts of the same sort in years to come. Violinist Christian Svarfvar, who conceived this project and commissioned the music from composer Johan Ullèn, makes the pro forma disclaimers about recomposing something that's already perfect, ...
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The makers of Infinite Bach freely acknowledge their debt to composer Max Richter, whose Recomposed treatment of Vivaldi's Four Seasons violin concertos has been extraordinarily successful. Infinite Bach has hit the best-seller charts as well, and it is likely that listeners will see more attempts of the same sort in years to come. Violinist Christian Svarfvar, who conceived this project and commissioned the music from composer Johan Ullèn, makes the pro forma disclaimers about recomposing something that's already perfect, but in fact, Western musicians have been explicitly elaborating on prior models ever since a monk added a second line to a piece of Gregorian chant, and there is absolutely nothing new about what Svarfvar and Ullèn are doing. What's notable and listenable about Infinite Bach is that it breaks new ground in remaking Baroque music, and it's quite different in effect from Richter's Vivaldi pieces. The term Infinite Bach might be taken simply to mean that, in general, there's no limit in reimagining Bach's music, but it also seems to have a more specific meaning. A good deal of Bach's music is preserved, but Ullèn slows down the harmonic rhythm and generates minimalist textures. Many of these force the violin into its highest register, posing technical challenges that Svarfvar surmounts nicely. The effect suggests Bach's music rising into the infinite skies. Ullèn has other devices in his bag of ideas as well; some passages take on pop propulsiveness (although not its rhythms) or darken the harmonies. Svarfvar leads the London Philharmonic and molds its versatile players into a unit that guides listeners into a distinctive and absorbing sound world. Those listeners may take their pick between Richter and Svarfvar/Ullèn; the music here is a bit more abstract in its effect than with Richter, although it may lack the latter's immediate emotional appeal. The big news here is that recomposition is beginning to look like a trend. ~ James Manheim, Rovi
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