Worcester takes on all of Bach's works

Music Worcester plans to play each of Johann Sebastian Bach’s compositions over the next 11 years, starting this weekend and culminating with the 350th anniversary of Bach’s birth in 2035.

The series, titled “The Complete Bach,” launches Sunday with a performance of Bach’s “Mass in B Minor” at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. It’s the first in over 1,000 pieces that will be played in this series honoring the composer.

“I think of Bach as the prism through which all of Western classical music is refracted,” says artistic director Chris Shepard. “I love to picture the Pink Floyd poster [of] ‘The Dark Side of the Moon,’ because if you picture that prism, there's one long stream of light that hits the prism and then goes out in different ways.”

The organization believes that “The Complete Bach” will mark the first time since Bach’s own life that each of his compositions will be performed in such a series. Bach was born in 1685 and was raised by a musical family, including a brother who played the organ. He achieved great fame within the musical community during his lifetime and has long been considered one of the greatest composers of all time.

Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society and Emmanuel Music will join more groups in Worcester such as The Worcester Chorus and Worcester Children’s Chorus for the series.

“The Complete Bach” will be anchored by two annual shows at Mechanics Hall, one in October called “Bachtoberfest,” a term that has taken hold over classical music communities in recent years, and another in March near Bach’s birthday. The first of these flagship shows will take place on the weekend of October 25-27. Internationally celebrated cellist and former Music Worcester Young Artist Competition winner Zlatomir Fung will play “Six Cello Suites” at Mechanics Hall, the same venue cellist Yo-Yo Ma selected to record his rendition of the same music years earlier.

“I was thrilled to hear the plans for the ‘Complete Bach’ … and jumped immediately to being a part of it,” said Mechanics Hall executive director Kathleen Gagne. “The project is amazing and bold and brave."

Shepard hopes the series will attract Bach fans from around the world to Worcester venues. Beyond Mechanics Hall, the series already has plans for performances and festivities at traditional venues such as Tuckerman Hall and even less frequented venues for classical music, such as local brewery Redemption Rock for “Bachtoberfest.”

With the breadth of Bach’s influence, Shepard intends to include a variety of artists in the series from church organists to artists known for jazz. In Shepard’s view, the more you listen to Bach, the more you can appreciate his genius.

“It's like seeing a big cycle of Shakespeare plays or August Wilson's plays, which now different companies are starting to do the full cycle,” he said. “In a weird way, only by hearing everything, do you begin to understand anything about Bach.”