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Inspiring, moving: a classical music video of superior merit
Hermann Scherchen's "Art of the Fugue" was taped in Toronto in December, 1965, and originally broadcast by the CBC June 1, 1966, just eleven days before the conductor's death in Florence, France. In this video, we see conductor Hermann Scherchen's eyes often lift heavenward, as if he is receiving cues from on high. And, indeed, Scherchen wrote to his wife, Pia, regarding this taped rehearsal that, "Bach's plan seemed to reveal its secret to me, through the manuscrpit sheets I had before my eyes, so in these same sheets I found the justification of my own instrumentation." We see this revelation in progress.. and it is stirring. Absolutely. There is a part in the tape where Scherchen remains seated on a stool as a remarkable harpsichord solo is played. He listens, just listens, and across the features of his face passes an ineffable sadness, a pain, a resignation, as the "whispers in a sorrowful night" of Bach's music wash over him. Then he smiles and gives the soloist a salute as if well pleased, as if claiming him as a soulmate. I was deeply moved by the watching of this video. An interesting coincidence: these bars of music were the last ever penned by Bach, and one of the last ever performed by a great Bach interpreter.