Bach’s earliest cantatas in recordings of vivid clarity

Mocha? Flat White? Americano? Those patronising Zimmermann’s coffee house in 18th-century Leipzig would have been out of luck. But in the easy-going surroundings where the student Collegium Musicum me

From espresso machine to percolator, there are many ways to make a cup of coffee, and such is the case with Bach’s cantata, too. Sporting just two soloists plus cameo narrator, tracking down a vocal d

The Coffee Cantata wasn’t JS Bach’s sole foray into humour and social commentary. Written for a birthday celebration in 1742, his Peasant Cantata BWV 212 sets words by Picander in a 24-movement work f

A scholarly investigation lasting more than 30 years has resulted in two organ pieces by JS Bach enjoying their first performances in over three centuries. In November, the renowned organist and condu

The unconventional instrumentation favoured by Tortoise is an indicator of how many different lineups have always jostled for space under the jazz umbrella. The national treasure that is The Pete Alle

Soon after landing in England in the autumn of 1326, Isabella of France, estranged wife of Edward II, and her mercenary army mustered in Cambridge. The fenland town had acquired a second college just