Bringing us back to Bach

Taking an art form out of its natural habitat — be it theater, gallery, museum, recital or concert hall — risks diminishing the art to the extent that it’s no longer displayed to the best possible advantage. On the other hand, giving a particular art the daylight test, and parachuting it into potentially enemy territory and exposing it to audiences not likely attuned to its nuances, carries the possibility of winning new adherents.

That’s what is happening for an unexpectedly musical afternoon on Saturday at Glendale’s historic Larry Zarian Transportation Center.

Bach in the Subways is an international program that brings live performances of the music by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) to public spaces around the world on his birthday, March 21. The Baroque Colossus was born 330 years ago. As the only SoCal expression of the movement this year, Rebecca Merblum of the Pasadena Conservatory of Music will lead a cello ensemble in a free Bach recital at the Glendale train station platform. (Audience members are encouraged to bring their own chairs or seating arrangements.)

The effort will have spiritual links to other live Bach offerings in subways, train stations and other public spaces on the same day in 129 cities and 39 countries — including Vienna, Austria; Lagos, Nigeria; Tbilisi, Georgia; Lincoln, Nebraska; London, and Kristiansand, Norway.

Frustrated over the shrinking audience for classical music, Dale Henderson began playing Bach’s cello suites in the New York subways in 2010, convinced that the majesty of the music would draw new ears to Bach’s art. Media attention proved him correct, and he founded Bach in the Subways in 2011. The program has gained worldwide adherents and grown exponentially each year.

Henderson reached out to PCM faculty cellist Richard Mooney, a former classmate. When Merblum heard about the program, she sprang into action, securing permits and doing the necessary legwork for a public performance.

“I thought it was a great opportunity,” says Merblum, “to connect with people who’ve probably never heard Bach before.”

She’s a Connecticut native who holds a Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. On the PCM faculty since 2012, she is Strings Department Chair. As a cellist, and a founding member of the Azmari Quartet (quartet-in-residence at Northern Kentucky University from 2004-09), the Bach canon is near to Merblum’s heart. “Bach wrote a tremendous amount of music for the cello,” she points out. “He’s one of the cornerstones of our literature.”

“He had the wonderful ability to weave and balance multiple voices through his cello pieces,” she continues. “He understood the different timbres and colors of each string and how each one would be best represented. And, of course,” she adds, almost as an afterthought, “his counterpoint was exquisite.”

Bach was a workhorse composer with an iron-clad work ethic: He wrote for German court functions and composed music for weekly church services, leaving behind a tremendous amount of written music for many different instrumental combinations and choral ensembles. Since his passing, the music has undergone different interpretations, sometimes wildly different.

Two virtuosos were standard-bearers for their eras: Wanda Landowska’s “Goldberg Variations” utilized an even piano application throughout, while Glenn Gould’s “Goldberg Variations” was a roller coaster of dynamics and attacks. Merblum sees the range of interpretation as proof of the composer’s durability.

“Whether it’s cellist Pablo Casals or Glenn Gould, the layers in the music lends itself to personal expression and can accommodate these brilliant personalities,” she says. “That’s one of the things that puts Bach’s music into the category of genius.”

What does Bach have to teach us in the 21st Century? “His artistry is more relevant now than ever,” Merblum asserts. “He wrote consistently and continually; Bach was the ultimate craftsman and he’s the perfect example of what we should all strive for.”
Mooney, who has taught at PCM for 30 years, has hopes for the performance. “This won’t be like it is in a concert hall,” he says, “but it’s a chance to bring something great to the community and make meaningful connections.”

--

What: Bach in the Train Station

Where: Larry Zarian Transportation Center, 400 Cerritos Ave., Glendale

When: Saturday, March 21, 1 p.m.

Admission: Free.

--

KIRK SILSBEE writes about jazz and culture for Marquee.