music 28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY july 11-17, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Bach is an institution—not only because Johann Sebastian Bach became one of the greatest composers in the history of music, but also because of his family. In Eisenach, where the great musician was born, the last name “Bach” was synonymous with music, even before Johann was born. The Bach family produced 50 composers and musicians, and Jan Sebastian was the cherry on its very top, not to take away from his talented offspring. The Carmel Bach Festival, which premiered in Monterey County in 1935, is also an institution, being arguably the most important Bach festival in the U.S. It is mentioned with its German equivalents, such as Bachfest Leipzig, Thuringian Bach Festival or Eisenach Bach Festival in the composer’s hometown. “Carmel Bach Festival is very much up there—and pretty well known in my field,” says Abigail Nims, a mezzo-soprano that festival attendees will be able to hear in Bach’s St. John Passion (7:30pm on Saturday, July 13 and Saturday, July 20) and his Symphony No. 9 in D-minor, Opus 125, Choral (7:30pm on Sunday, July 14 and Sunday, July 21). They are two highlights among over 30 concerts Carmel Bach Festival presents this year, including chamber and community performances in venues all around the Peninsula. Like Bach, Nims also came from a musical family. She grew up in Ohio; her parents were singers and vocal teachers and Bach was no stranger in the house. “They didn’t want us to become musicians,” Nims says. Yet she and her siblings chose music for their professional path in life. Her mother jokes that Nims started to learn singing even before birth, via osmosis. Nims became serious about her singing career in high school and even more serious in college. Nims adores Bach, but also appreciates Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, August Eberhard Müller and Franz Schubert. Like Bach, those European composers represent the best of the 17th and 18th century in music. Her favorite mezzo-sopranos are Swedish singer Anne Sofie von Otter and Argentinian singer Bernarda Fink. Currently, Nims teaches singing at the University of Colorado in Boulder. “My technique is growing just like a human being is growing,” she says about voice training over the years. “I have so much more to offer.” The 2024 Carmel Bach Festival comes with a rich and diverse menu. Over 15 days the audience will have a chance to enjoy not only Bach, but also Ludwig van Beethoven, Josef Bruckner, Frédéric Chopin and Antonio Vivaldi. When it comes to modern composers, audiences will hear Leonard Bernstein, but also a wonderful Estonian composer that captured the hearts of a wider audience than classical music while remaining a composer of contemporary classical music, Arvo Pärt. His emotional Passio: A Modern Passion can move listeners to tears (5pm Tuesday, July 16 and Tuesday, July 23). Less obvious, but fascinating options this year are Across the Sea—A Celtic Journey (7:30pm Thursday, July 18 and Thursday, July 25), Shakespeare in Songs (7:30pm Thursday, July 11) or The Little Match Girl Passion by modern American composer David Lang. For the youngest, Carmel Bach Festival has prepared The Epic Adventures of Leonard & Rasmus: Myths, Legends & Heroes (11am Saturday, July 20). Another special concert is that in memory of Allen Whear, a baroque cellist and viola da gamba specialist who died in 2022. Finally, Best of the Fest concert may be a good choice for those who want to “hear it all” but have limited time (7:30pm Saturday, July 27) in Sunset Center Theater—which is, as always, the main festival stage. Carmel Bach Festival, July 13-27. Sunset Center Theatre, San Carlos Street at Ninth Avenue, Carmel. 6241521. info@bachfestival.org. BachFestival.org. Bach and Forth The Carmel Bach Festival brings 15 days of the world’s finest performances to the Peninsula. By Agata Pop˛eda Abigail Nims is a mezzo-soprano. She will perform in Bach’s St. John Passion and his Symphony No. 9 in D-minor, Opus 125, Choral during the 2024 Carmel Bach Festival. Daniel Dreifuss The St. John: A Global Passion 7:30-9:30pm Saturday, July 13 and Saturday, July 20, Sunset Center Theater $45-$104; $40-$93 Beethoven Nine: Be Embraced 7:30pm Sunday, July 14 and Sunday, July 21, Sunset Center Theater, $40-$93 An afternoon with Eric Lu, piano 2pm Sunday, July 21, Sunset Center Theater, $40-$75 Modern Main Concert: Timespan (with Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 6) 7:30pm Monday, July 15 and Monday, July 22, Sunset Center Theater, $40-$93 Arvo Pärt’s Passio: A Modern Passion 5pm Tuesday, July 16 and Tuesday, July 23. Monterey First Presbyterian Church, $47-$53.00 Dreams & Idylls West Side Story and Magic Flute 7:30pm Tuesday, July 16 and Tuesday, July 23, $40-$93 Bach’s Library 8:30pm Wednesday, July 17 and Wednesday, July 24, Carmel Mission, $82 Across the Sea – A Celtic Journey 7:30pm Thursday, July 18 and Thursday, July 25, Sunset Center Theater, $40-$93 These Worlds in US: Grieg, Mazzoli & Beethoven 7:30pm Friday, July 19 and Friday, July 26, Sunset Center Theater, $40-$93 The Epic Adventures of Leonard & Rasmus: Myths, Legends & Heroes 11am Saturday, July 20, Sunset Center Theater, Free The Little Match Girl Passion 1:30pm Friday, July 19 and Friday, July 26 Sunset Center Foyer, $43 Allen Whear Memorial Concert 3pm Thursday, July 18 and Thursday, July 25, All Saints’ Episcopal Church, $35-$41 Some Festival Highlights Paul Dwyer, principal cello in the orchestra, rehearses with other musicians for the 2024 Carmel Bach Festival at the Sunset Center in Carmel. During the festival, the audience can hear over 30 concerts.
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