Music Review A Muscial Story - Johann Sebastian Bach
A Stunning Musical Journey Through the Works of Johann Sebastian Bach
On November 1, 2024, the concert A Musical Story: Johann Sebastian Bach captivated audiences at the National Art Gallery Daut Pasha Hamam. This unique event featured arias and duets from Bach’s monumental works, including the St. Matthew Passion, Mass in B Minor, and the cantata Jesu, der du meine Seele, complemented by the virtuosic performance of the Toccata in E Minor.
The venue, renowned for its exquisite Ottoman architecture and outstanding acoustics, provided a perfect setting to immerse in Bach’s vocal masterpieces. Soprano Marija Tashevska and alto Mariana Boshkovska delivered mesmerizing interpretations, showcasing their vocal prowess and emotive depth. Both recent graduates of the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje, they have built impressive careers performing in prominent festivals such as Skopje Summer and Ohrid Summer.
Accompanied by the accomplished pianist Mimoza Keka, whose artistry added richness and texture to the evening, the concert unfolded as a masterful journey through Bach’s spiritual and musical legacy. Highlights included Tashevska’s heartfelt rendition of “Blute nur, mein liebes Herz”, Boshkovska’s moving “Agnus Dei”, and the duo’s dynamic performance of “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten.”
Adding to the experience, the event coincided with the Austrian Modern Art after 1945 exhibition, blending visual and musical arts to create a profound dialogue between Baroque spirituality and postmodern expression.
The evening concluded with warm smiles from the performers, a standing ovation from the audience, and a shared sense of connection between art, music, and humanity.
Mimoza Keka and her collaborators continue to breathe new life into classical repertoire, and this concert stood as a testament to the timeless relevance of Johann Sebastian Bach.
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Bach’s Music Transformed into Pure Passion
About the Concert Musical Story: Johann Sebastian Bach
November began in the spirit of Bach’s musical creation. On Friday, November 1, 2024, at 8 PM, the concert Musical Story: Johann Sebastian Bach took place, featuring arias and duets from Bach’s monumental works, including St. Matthew Passion, Mass in B Minor, and the cantata Jesu, der du meine Seele. In the middle of the concert, the audience enjoyed the performance of the Toccata in E Minor.
The venue for the event was the National Art Gallery Daut Pasha Hammam, renowned for its vivid architecture and unique location. The selected venue proved ideal for performing Bach’s vocal masterpieces, thanks to its exceptional acoustic characteristics.
The performers, soprano Marija Tashevska and alto Mariana Boskovska, are young artists showcasing remarkable skill in a diverse vocal repertoire, from chamber scenes to performances with orchestras. Both are recent graduates of the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje. Their performances have drawn significant attention in Musica Viva concerts organized by the Faculty of Music Arts, as well as in the annual concerts In Honor of Kosta Trpkov, where solo singing students perform with the National Opera and Ballet orchestra.
Their biographies include performances at Skopje Summer, Ohrid Summer, and Romansiada. Tashevska held a concert titled Whoever Hears Me Sing, while one of Boskovska’s first significant performances was as part of the soloists’ quartet in the movement Ohrid from Dimitrije Buzarovski’s oratorio, presented during the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. Both artists also gained recognition for their emotional and musical interpretations of Macedonian folk songs within the project Multimedia Corpus of Macedonian Folk Songs (MCMFS), under the Buzarovski Archive.
This concert marked their collaboration with pianist Mimoza Keka, a universal concert pianist and Doctor of Piano Performance from the Faculty of Music Arts. Keka has often performed with the duo as an artistic collaborator for the Vocal Studio course, led by conductor Bisera Chadlovska.
The Program Highlights
The concert began with a brief introduction by Keka, who announced the program. The first piece, “Blute nur, mein liebes Herz” for soprano from St. Matthew Passion BWV 244 (1727), opened with Keka’s piano accompaniment that immersed the audience in Bach’s spiritual music and biblical themes. Tashevska conveyed the pain and sacrifice of Jesus Christ with profound passion.
The soprano-alto duet “So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen,” portraying Christ’s capture, featured Keka’s nuanced dynamics and the singers’ heartfelt expressions, intensifying the emotion. Tashevska’s pure, resonant voice shone in “Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben,” reflecting Christ’s love and sacrifice for humanity.
Following the arias, Keka performed Toccata in E Minor BWV 914 (1710), where the piano resonated like an organ, enhancing the spiritual atmosphere.
The duet “Et in unum Dominum” from the Mass in B Minor BWV 232 (1749) displayed the cohesion and harmonic richness of the performers, embodying Bach’s spirit and the connection between Christ and the believer.
Boskovska’s exceptional voice, with its dark and rich timbre, shone in the alto aria “Agnus Dei,” achieving a sense of peace and spiritual transcendence, supported by Keka’s precise polyphonic piano lines.
The concert concluded with the vibrant duet “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten” from Jesu, der du meine Seele BWV 78 (1724), performed with evident enjoyment by all three artists, their smiles lighting up the evening.
Artistic Synthesis
The event also included visual art from the Austrian Modern Art After 1945 exhibition. The expressive use of color, minimalism, and distorted forms of the artworks paralleled the depth of Bach’s music. Together, they created a fusion of Baroque spirituality and postmodern introspection, amplified by the unique Ottoman architecture of the 15th-century venue, designed as a space for both physical and emotional cleansing.
Milena Naumovska, November 12, 2024