King of Kings: Orchestral Transcriptions of Bach by Andrew Davis album review – the late conductor's first love
In the last two years of his life, Davis returned to the music that had been his first love by making orchestral versions of some of JS Bach's organ works. In 2023, he began to record a selection of his orchestrations with the BBC Philharmonic for Chandos, but when he died in April last year just four arrangements had been recorded, and Martyn Brabbins stepped in to complete the project with the orchestra the following September.
The result is a sequence that begins with the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, which Davis has orchestrated in a relatively restrained way, especially when compared with the spectacular version that Leopold Stokowski famously concocted for Walt Disney's Fantasia, and it ends with the E flat St Anne Prelude and Fugue, while in between there is a series of chorale preludes, arranged like the bigger works in an unshowy but always thoroughly musical way: for instance, the Trio super Herr Jesu Christ, Dich zu Uns Wend becomes a busy instrumental movement that could have come out of the Brandenburg Concertos. The most interesting of the arrangements, though, is the one that Davis made a decade earlier than all the rest, of the great Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, whose more fastidious, almost pointillist orchestration recalls Webern's famous version of the six-part ricercare from Bach's Musical Offering. Modest these pieces may be, but they are a touching memorial to a fine, much missed conductor.
This article includes content hosted on embed.music.apple.com. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'.
Listen on Apple Music (above) or Spotify
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Meghan Markle's 'reaction' to being nicknamed 'Duchess Difficult' by staff who accused her of 'bullying' and sending them 'demeaning' emails
Meghan Markle was angry about being given the moniker 'Duchess Difficult' but still remains a demanding boss, it was claimed today. The former Suits star was given the unkind nickname by Palace staff after it was claimed she would send 'demanding' and 'angry' emails to them, sometimes as early as 5am. She was blamed for multiple palace aides leaving royal employ amid allegations of bullying and allegedly even made staff cry. Meghan, who turns 44 today, has always denied the allegations of bullying while she was working as a royal, which she described as an orchestrated smear campaign against her. Supporters insisted that she was 'well liked' by royal aides who were inspired by her energy and enthusiasm. Veteran royal correspondent Valentine Low broke the bullying story in May 2021, just before Harry and Meghan were to appear on screen with Oprah Winfrey to discuss Megxit. He said: 'There had been one or two stories which suggested there were difficult relations between Meghan and her staff. We'd seen them and the phrase "Duchess Difficult" had been used. 'We knew Meghan was angry about those stories. We knew she challenged that narrative'. Meghan and Harry have gained a reputation for being tough bosses with one commentator claiming the turnover of staff in the US shows they remain 'difficult' He said when The Times ran the Meghan bullying story and 'doesn't get sued' it means 'there's probably something in it and suddenly you realise all those tabloid stories earlier suggesting she might be Duchess Difficult, actually maybe they're true'. Her friends claimed at the time that Meghan's early emails, often with emojis, were sent at 5am onwards because she would get up early to speak to her mother Doria due to the eight-hour time difference with California. There were also claims that her first pregnancy disturbed her sleep. Royal author Omid Scobie said in his book Finding Freedom that the 'Duchess Difficult' nickname was perpetuated by people inside the Royal bubble who wanted to hurt her. Yet a brutal report the Hollywood Reporter claimed last year that Meghan 'belittles' people and ' marches around like a dictator in high heels, fuming and barking orders'. The Sussexes have lost 25 staff members since they emigrated to the US in 2020. Six have left in the last four months, including two senior PR execs. Mr Low has claimed: 'If they [the Sussexes] were difficult to work for then, they're difficult to work for now'. The veteran royal reporter claims that some of the royal staff who had worked with the Sussexes were still in a 'very fragile state' more than two years later - and despite the royal couple having emigrated 5,000 miles away to the US. 'They were very worried about what Meghan would do to them. They viewed her capacity for revenge as infinite', Mr Low said. 'They'd left the employ of the Royal Family and they still were in a psychologically delicate state as a result of what happened to them at that time'. He added: 'If they [the Sussexes] were difficult to work for then, they're difficult to work for now'. Mr Low was speaking to American royal commentator Kinsey Schofield's Unfiltered YouTube show. He told her that he believes that Harry and Meghan tried to stop and then discredit his story detailing allegations of bullying, adding that he believes that the fact they have lost 25 staff since 2017 shows they remain tough to work for. ''It was a very important factor, the litigious nature of Harry and Meghan. I had sight of various bits of documentary evidence. I saw things which totally backed up the story. I had utter confidence', he said. 'Before publication we put the allegations to Harry and Meghan and we got a very very long letter from their lawyers. Sometime later we got another slightly less long letter from their lawyers. It was very very feisty, very strong, saying basically "watch out". 'Then we published and after that we didn't hear a word from them'. Valentine said the story had to be published before the Oprah interview. 'If the story had come out after the Oprah interview, it would have just looked like sour grapes. It'd be lost in the noise. Meghan would come across as this this heroine, this person who'd been victimised', he said. Harry and Meghan during their sit down interview with Oprah Winfrey, which many say only damaged their increasingly fraught relationship with the Royal Family further 'The whole narrative would be about what she and Harry said about their experiences with the royal family. It would just get lost and no one would really care. 'You look back to the Diana years. Stories had come out that the marriage was in trouble. No-one knew for certain until Andrew Morton's book came out. People then realised that it was the truth. 'That is what happened with my bullying story'. He said when a newspaper ran the Meghan bullying story and 'doesn't get sued' it means 'there's probably something in it and suddenly you realise all those tabloid stories earlier suggesting she might be Duchess Difficult, actually maybe they're true'. A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex accused Mr Low of 'recycling false, offensive, and long-discredited allegations' and spreading 'harmful gossip'. 'These claims—rooted in anonymous, unverifiable sources—form part of a broader and deeply troubling agenda that seeks to dehumanise a woman who has consistently stood up for fairness, dignity, and truth', they said. The spokesman said Meghan 'has faced years of unfounded attacks' part of a 'never-ending smear campaign'. 'Meghan remains undeterred by the noise and firmly focused on her family and work', the spokesman said. Jason Knauf, who is CEO of Prince William's Earthshot Prize, was once exceptionally close to the exiled couple. The New Zealander was one of just two people Harry told he was proposing to Meghan before they fell out over the Duchess' alleged poor treatment of staff. He and his colleagues have since been dubbed the 'Sussex Survivors'. He quit the royal household after accusing the Duchess of Sussex of mistreating two colleagues and undermining their confidence. Jason Knauf (left) is pictured with Harry and Meghan attending the Invictus Games in Toronto. He accused Meghan of bullying staff and then quit the royal household after Megxit Meghan has been haunted by claims she bullied royal staff - and Mr Knauf has repeatedly stood by his claims. In February this year, Jason insisted he 'wouldn't change a thing' and has 'no regrets' after he accused Meghan Markle of bullying staff 'out of the royal household'. In his first TV interview he stood by his complaint about the alleged 'totally unacceptable' behaviour of the Duchess of Sussex that leaked just before the couple's Oprah interview in 2021. 'The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights', he had written in an 2018 email where he accused Meghan of 'bullying' and undermining the confidence of two staff. Harry later addressed the bullying claims in the Sussexes' Netflix docu-series, saying it was false and all the result of him and Meghan speaking truth to power. 'I can't think what my mum went through all those years ago by herself', he said. 'To see this institutional gaslighting that happens, it's extraordinary. And that's why everything that has happened to us was always going to happen to us because if you speak truth to power, that's how they respond'. Jason quit the royal household in 2021 but in April this year Prince William made him CEO of his beloved Earthshot Prize. Mr Knauf, a New Zealander who worked as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 's press secretary, appeared in a new documentary for 60 Minutes Australia, Where There's A Will - broadcast four months ago. In 2018, he had sent an internal email raising concerns about Meghan's alleged poor treatment of staff in the royal family, which was later leaked after Megxit. 'I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X was totally unacceptable,' he allegedly wrote. 'The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards Y.'
The Sun
19 hours ago
- The Sun
‘Harry & Meg's rings will stay on but separation is coming,' says ‘Living Nostradamus' as he makes explosive prediction
AWAY from the cameras, far from the glamour and the monarchy, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are said to be preparing for a new chapter. And it may be their most explosive yet, according to the unprecedented predictions of Athos Salomé, 38, aka the ' Living Nostradamus '. He points to a "symbolic separation", business transformations, and a surprising attempt at reconciliation with the Crown by the end of 2026. Silent separation According to Brazilian Salomé - who claims to have predicted the pandemic and the death of The Queen in 2022 - there will be no formal divorce. Instead, he believes the media-savvy pair's physical and professional distance will be evident with separate residences, increasingly incompatible schedules, and carefully orchestrated communication. He claims: 'It's a divorce in image, not on paper. The world will see Meghan and Harry more distant, each following their own script, but the ring will still be there.' Return to Royal Family 4 Against all expectations, Harry may make a partial return to the Crown in 2026, Salomé suggests, through events related to war veterans and projects with young people. However, he believes this is not an official return to the heart of the Royal Family. Salomé says: 'It will be a peripheral, almost diplomatic position, to maintain bridges and reduce institutional tensions.' Only recently, secret meetings between Harry's advisers and representatives of Buckingham Palace were revealed to have taken place, which the medium claims are 'behind-the-scenes peace talks'. Meghan 's goodbye to royalty & hello to wellness From Duchess to lifestyle executive - Salomé suggests Megan could abandon any narrative ties to the monarchy and take full control of her As Ever brand. 4 Her new female empire will focus on artisanal products, healthy beverages, and digital content on wellness. Salomé also suggests Meghan will diversify even further 'with partnerships in mental health technologies, including apps integrated into self-care routines'. Who is the 'Living Nostradamus'? Athos Salomé, 37, from Brazil, claims to have previously predicted the Covid pandemic, invasion of Ukraine and the death of The Queen. He has been likened to Nostradamus, the famous 16th-century seer who has had plenty of his cryptic prophecies come somewhat true over the centuries since his death. The mystic astrologer wrote 6,338 prophecies, including when, where and how our world will dramatically end. Salomé, like the seer, has devout followers with whom he shares his predictions for the future. Salomé clarified that the events he predicts are not necessarily set in stone, and that he does not intend to cause panic with them. And not all of them are correct or true; in 2022 he claimed that the world would see the arrivals of zombies, and he also predicted that a satanic figure from the Bible would present itself at some point in 2023. From Netflix to where? With their Netflix contract coming to an end, the couple could be looking to negotiate a new 'first-look deal' with platforms such as Paramount+ or Max. But unlike in the past, Salomé believes the new projects could have more flexible clauses, without the pressure of "autobiographical content", and he suggests that Meghan will work behind the scenes as an executive producer — away from the cameras this time. Salomé predicts a 50% chance of signing a new contract by 2026, focusing on themed series, documentaries and content aimed at millennial female audiences. 4 Back to basics Columnist Caroline Bullock recently revealed why she thinks this new chapter for Harry and Meghan is the start of the end. Following Netflix pulling the plug on its £100m deal with the Sussexes, the question left on everyone's lips is; where do they go from here? The 18-bed Montecito mansion luxe lifestyle doesn't come cheap, and Caroline believes "the pair [have] run out of interesting things to say - family mud-slinging and royal revelations aside". Caroline believes now is a perfect opportunity for Harry to "get back to basics and be true to himself, which means a shift away from celebrity and tacky commercial work to charity work and projects with more substance". " Prince Harry's official visit to Angola last week – retracing his mother Princess Diana's 1997 landmine walk may have attracted some criticism for copying," Caroline states. "But it is in fact a reminder of where his focus should be and true value lies."
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
How Meghan Markle's disdain for her 'tiny' home in Kensington Palace was the start of all her troubles, according to royal insider
A royal insider has claimed that Meghan's dislike for her living arrangements at Kensington Palace were the start of her troubles with royal life and set the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the path to 'Megxit'. It's Meghan's 44th birthday on Monday and following the so-called 'peace summit' last month, it appears at long last that the animosities between the Sussexes and the other royals may soon be thawing.
