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 Ullen, 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
Ullen 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
Ullen 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.
Ullen 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/
Ullen; 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
