Lenox — One of the most famous stories about J.S. Bach involves a king and an incredible feat of musicianship performed at the dawn of the modern world. This will be the topic of discussion at Lenox Town Hall on Sunday, March 9, when Berkshire Bach Society Artist Director Eugene Drucker leads a discussion with James R. Gaines, author of “Evening in the Palace of Reason.”
This is an opportunity to hear a performance of the trio sonata from Bach’s “The Musical Offering” and participate in a discussion about it led by Mr. Drucker. Performing the piece will be Mr. Drucker on violin, flutist Judith Mendenhall, cellist Roberta Cooper, and Kenneth Weiss on harpsichord.
When Bach visited Frederick II of Prussia in May 1747, the king challenged him to improvise—on the spot—a fugue based on a theme the king had written. The venerable Capellmeister obliged with a three-part fugue, then went back home to Leipzig to write a set of fugues and canons and a trio sonata based on the “Thema Regium” (“King’s Theme”). He called this collection “The Musical Offering,” and it is regarded as one of Bach’s greatest works of counterpoint.
This was a significant moment in Bach’s career. Frederick was a patron of modern music, while Bach represented the high Baroque tradition. Musical trends were shifting, and Baroque music was on its way out of style. This moment symbolizes the transition from the Baroque to the Classical era.
James R. Gaines is an American journalist, historian, and author known for his leadership roles at prominent magazines and his works of cultural history. He served as managing editor for “People,” “Life,” and “Time” magazines, significantly influencing American journalism during his tenure. He started out at “Saturday Review,” later joining “Newsweek” as a National Affairs writer. At “People” magazine, he went from associate editor to managing editor, subsequently holding leadership positions at “Life” and “Time.”
Gaines has written several books in addition to “Evening in the Palace of Reason.” They include:
- “Wit’s End: Days and Nights of the Algonquin Round Table” (1977)
- “The Lives of the Piano” (1981)​
- “For Liberty and Glory: Washington, Lafayette, and Their Revolutions” (2007)
Gaines holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Historical Association.
A graduate of Columbia University and the Juilliard School, Eugene Drucker served as concertmaster and in solo roles with the Juilliard Orchestra, making his New York debut as a Concert Artists Guild winner in the fall of 1976. A founding member of the Emerson String Quartet, Drucker has appeared as a soloist with orchestras of Jerusalem, Omaha, Richmond, Montreal, Hartford, Brussels, Antwerp, Liege, and the Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as with the the Aspen Chamber Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic, and American Symphony Orchestra. A nine-time GRAMMY and three-time Gramophone Magazine Award winner, Drucker has recorded the complete works of Bach for unaccompanied violin (on Parnassus Records); all of Bartók’s sonatas and duos (on Biddulph Recordings); and, with the Emerson Quartet, a large number of recordings for Deutsche Grammophon featuring works ranging from Bach and Haydn to contemporary repertoire. He has taught at Stony Brook University for 21 years and has recently joined the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.
Hear Eugene Drucker, Judith Mendenhall, Roberta Cooper, and Kenneth Weiss perform the trio sonata from Bach’s “The Musical Offering” BWV 1079 and participate in a conversation with James R. Gaines, author of “Evening in the Palace of Reason.” It all takes place Sunday, March 9, 3 p.m., at Lenox Town Hall, 6 Walker Street.
