On Saturday, April 3rd at 7:30 PM, Peter Blanchette returns to the Northampton Center for the Arts for the third installment of a tradition in Northampton, an annual recital of music in celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach. The concert will begin with an illuminating introduction from WFCR’s John Montanari, and then will feature Peter’s solo arrangements for archguitar of Bach’s 'cello suites nos. III, V, and VI, his new recording of which will be unveiled that evening, and available for purchase.

Blanchette on the Bach ‘cello suites, “It’s amazing that the most perfect music ever composed for the guitar was composed for 'cello! In one sense, Bach was indifferent to instruments- he sometimes used the same ideas for both a violin Prelude and an organ obligato in one Cantata. Yet, there is something so idiomatically guitar-friendly about the 'cello suites. They explore and define the range of expression, and most importantly, the range of emotion that a single player can offer a listener in one sitting. It’s rare that the term perfect applies to anything in life, but these suites are perfect music.”