Tim Garland, Northern Sinfonia, Bradley Creswick - Celebrating Bach (2009)

The distinguished Northern Sinfonia directed by Bradley Creswick, celebrate J.S. Bach’s enduring legacy, which continues to inspire composers and performers into the 21st century.

The album shows the clear link between JS Bach and two more modern composers who cite him as an important influence. Stravinsky’s ‘Dumbarton Oaks’ uses similar instrumentation to Bach’s concertos and was written with a dedication to Bach. Similarly, in the twenty-first century, Tim Garland has employed almost the same instruments for his two pieces, which also carry a dedication to Bach. Tim’s liner notes explain some of the ways in which his compositions draw influence from Bach via Stravinsky’s work, demonstrating a direct lineage. The use of soprano saxophone instead of oboe has been done before; Bach himself transcribed these concertos several times for different instruments as they (or their players) became available. Tim Garland is arguably one of the finest players in the world on soprano saxophone. The album is recorded and engineered to the highest standard.