Not All Baroque In his first year at the Northwest Bach Festival, Zuill Bailey is changing things up BY LAURA JOHNSON
T
he entrancing music pours into your soul, surrounding you like a warm summer evening. Listening to Johann Sebastian Bach’s unaccompanied Cello Suites is as much a spiritual awakening today as when first performed in the early 1700s. Artistic director Zuill Bailey intends to play all six of the Cello Suites for the Northwest Bach Festival — this year, showcasing one Suite at six different locations — but that’s just skimming the surface. For the first time in its 36-year history, the festival, running from Feb. 25 through March 9, has swelled to a two-week affair that includes 25 events instead of four or five. With film viewings and wine tastings added, the program culminates with the world release of the album Some Other Time, a collaboration between pianist Lara Downes and Bailey. In his first season at the helm, Bailey plans to help continue Bach’s legacy for a new generation to appreciate. ...continued on next page
FEBRUARY 20, 2014 INLANDER 23