REVIEW ESSAY

Technology and accessibility

It would be misleading to say this is a production of the highest quality in technological terms. When reviewed against contemporary documentary films, this one is lacking in sophistication. Camerawork, scripting, or more often lack of, sound design and shot variation are not at the appropriate industry standard expected for such excellent content. It would be fair to say that in the digital age, where most things are accessed by subscription services or digital platforms, making a DVD-CD boxset is something of the past. Many homes no longer possess the technology to play a DVD-CD. Fugue State Films should consider dissemination by other means to ensure the legacy of this documentary through widely accessed platforms.

Challenges

It is a fair comment to question why there were not more voices within this production. For example it would have been valuable for Bach and Expression to include a specialist in Lutheran Orthodox tradition and Bach’s legacy within the Lutheran church. It would have been valuable to hear from the organ builders maintaining the instruments, referring to issues the instruments are/will go on to face in the years ahead. It would be appropriate to suggest that in today’s western society that broadly possesses an individuality mindset, there should have been more explicit context to Bach and religion. Arguably we can only observe an historic understanding and interpretation of Bach’s music and a musicologist would have been able to expand the social impact across generations of interpretations. These topics were skirted around which did not do justice to Bach or the search for the meaning of Expression within the documentary.