AllMovie

This documentary on the life of Johann Sebastian Bach is one in a six-part series hosted by Jon Kimura Parker, and features Pinchas Zukerman and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Classical music will forever be in debt to Bach. He was a peerless master of technique, whose important works included his cantatas, the Passions of St. John and St. Matthew, and the Mass in B Minor. But he is best known for the Brandenburg Concertos, which are the focus of this film, with performances of all six concertos. It took Bach more than two years to complete the concertos, which were commissioned by the Margrave of Brandenburg. He never even thanked Bach for the cantatas, or used them, much less paid for them. Four of Bach's sons became composers, and his son enjoyed more fame while he was alive than the senior Bach. Only time would prove the enduring genius of Bach. This video bears witness to his legacy as a musical giant.