Den Tepfer. Josh Goleman/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Johann Sebastian Bach
Pianist Ruth Slenczynska, photographed in 2021. At 97, she just released her first record for the Decca label in nearly 60 years. Meredith Truax/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
At 97, Pianist Ruth Slenczynska has a new album — and plenty of stories
Johann Sebastian Bach Rischgitz/Getty Images hide caption
Johann Sebastian Bach playing the organ, not the lautenwerck, circa 1725. From a print in the British Museum. Rischgitz/Getty Images hide caption
Bach's Favorite Instrument You've Probably Never Heard Of: The Long-Lost Lautenwerck
In the wake of pandemics and large-scale crises, composers have responded in a broad variety of ways over the centuries. Wellcome Library, London/Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning, by Philip Kennicott NPR hide caption
Bridget Kibbey performs during a Tiny Desk concert, on Oct. 24, 2019. (Catie Dull/NPR) Catie Dull/NPR hide caption
Yo-Yo Ma brought his Bach Project to the sister cities of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The project uses the music of Johann Sebastian Bach to explore connections between cultures. Lauren A. Terrazas/Texas Public Radio hide caption
Jeremy Denk's c.1300-c.2000 comes out Feb. 8 on Nonesuch. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
The debut album by the Aizuri Quartet is called Blueprinting. David Stith/New Amsterdam Records hide caption
Simone Dinnerstein and Philip Glass. Richard Guérin/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
On Brad Mehldau's new album, he alternates keyboard works by J.S. Bach with his own jazz-inflected explorations. Michael Wilson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Glenn Gould, with his gloves and wrist-warmers, in the Columbia Records studio where he recorded Bach's Goldberg Variations. Don Hunstein/Sony Classical hide caption
The Gould That Didn't Glitter: New Box Set Of 'Goldberg Variations' Outtakes
Max Richter brings a diverse playlist with him for an NPR Music Guest DJ session. Yulia Mahr/Courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon hide caption
A still from Maya Beiser's "Air" video. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Alessio Bax with his daughter at the Tiny Desk. Brandon Chew/NPR hide caption
The new album by piano duo Anderson and Roe is devoted to J.S. Bach. Ken Schles hide caption
'Erbarme Dich'
Music can be like a fleeting summer. You get to the end wondering, "How did we get here already?" iStockphoto hide caption
Cameron Carpenter's new album, If You Could Read My Mind, comes out Aug. 26. Thomas Grube/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
If You Could Read My Mind
Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
Simone Dinnerstein performs a Tiny Desk Concert in April 2014. Jim Tuttle/NPR hide caption