The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: If you missed radio host Rich Samuels’ outstanding local tribute to J.S. Bach’s 328th birthday, you can now listen to the Madison performers on his website. Plus, he will record the FREE concert this Saturday at noon by the wind quintet Black Marigold.

By Jacob Stockinger

Some weeks ago, in mid-March, radio host Rich Samuels spent two of the three hours of his 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. Thursday show “Anything Goes” on WORT (89.9 FM) doing a birthday tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach (below). It was broadcast on the air and also streamed via the Internet and WORT’s home website.

Samuels, an amiable and discerning transplanted Chicago journalist and broadcaster, went around to various local players and recorded performances of Bach as well as brief interviews that asked the performers to discuss Bach.

Here is a link to my major mention and preview of it:

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/classical-music-celebrate-the-328th-birthday-of-johann-sebastian-bach-this-thursday-morning-from-5-a-m-to-8-a-m-with-radio-host-rich-samuels-and-many-local-performers-on-wort-89-9-fm-radio/

It was a perfect substitute for the much liked Bach Around the Clock celebration of The Master’s 328th birthday that Wisconsin Public Radio cancelled (a poster for the last one is below) after its music director Cheryl Dring left for Texas.

At the time, Samuels promised that he would work to post the local performances on his website.

And now he has made good on that promise.

Here is a link along with a message from Samuels:

“Audio of the specially recorded Bach birthday segments from my March 21st WORT show are now on my website at

www.richsamuels.com/bach

“Featured in the performances are Rachel Eve Holmes, Kostas Tiliakos, Thomas Kasdorf, Bruce Bengston, Trevor Stephenson (below top), Karlos Moser, Renee Farley, Tim Farley, Shannon Farley, Greg Punswick, Kathy Otterson (below bottom), Cindy Whip, Michael Keller, Tim Adrianson, Dennis Simonson and Pete Ross.

“Thanks again for your mentioning this effort, which encouraged the ensuing performances.

“My next recording effort will be of the FREE concert by Black Marigold (below) this Saturday at noon at Grace Episcopal Church on Capital Square. Just to be clear: I’ll be acquiring a recording of Saturday’s Black Marigold concert, not making my own.  I’m not certain when that will air.”