Michael Lawrence's BACH & friends documentary created a big splash with the audience at the West Coast premiere that took place at the Sundance Kabuki Theater in San Francisco last Wednesday evening. Presented by San Francisco Classical Voice as a fundraiser for the organization, the film about Bach's impact on music and musicians was greeted with cheers, laughter, and occasionally, stunned silence from the sold-out crowd.
The quality of the Blu-ray disc and the exceptional sound played well on the big screen, amplifying many wonderful and innovative performances of some of Bach's signature works by well-known artists interspersed with insightful stories and commentary. As 24-year-old German organist Felix Hell finished up a virtuosic, danceable performance of the Fugue in D Major BWV 532 at the very beginning of the film, the audience broke into applause, perhaps because of the camera angles capturing the fancy footwork. Other highlights of the film were Joshua Bell’s stunning account of the Chaconne and Chris Thile’s nimble performance of the prelude to the third violin partita on mandolin.
Many of SFCV's most loyal donors and fans attended a pre-screening wine-tasting reception organized by Event Chair, Suzie Woodward Morris. Foggy Bridge Winery, a producer which will soon open its doors in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, provided four varietals from their stock. The filmmaker and his wife, Johanna, flew in for the event from Baltimore to mingle with the guests and answer questions about the making of the film.
Although copies of the DVD sold faster than Chris Thile's flying fingers, you can find a copy for yourself at the film's Web site. The two-disc set includes a full 90 minutes of performances by the starry musicians in the cast, including the Emerson String Quartet, Richard Stoltzman, and many others. It's a film that will interest music lovers of all kinds. Help SFCV spread the word!