Zippel Fagottist

Transcriptions of Concerti and Ich Habe Genug, with bassoon in the leading role.
An enrichment to the Bach repertoire, where the bassoon has fallen into oblivion.
This project will culminate in our recording debut.

First performance: Christmas 2025

Bach wrote almost no solo repertoire for bassoon. Strange, because his colleagues Graupner and Vivaldi (a great influence to Bach) and even his son Johann Christian did. This may have been due to the fact that Bach did not have good bassoonists, or was very demanding of them. There is the well-known story about the quarrel with the bassoonist from his orchestra in Arnstadt. Bach was dissatisfied with the playing of bassoonist Johann Heinrich Geyersbach, he is said to have criticized his playing and cursed him in front of everyone with the words ‘Sie sind ein ZIPPEL FAGOTTIST’, which means something like ‘a dick of a bassoonist’. The bassoonist was offended and when he asked Bach for an apology in vain after a visit to the pub on the street, he gave Bach a punch, whereupon Bach drew his sword. There are different versions of the rest of the story, but in any case, the two young men had to appear in court and were both reprimanded: Bach because he called Geyersbach a Zippel Fagottist and Geyersbach because he attacked Bach in the street.

With FLANDERS BACH-CONSORT we want to bring the bassoon to the forefront of the Bach repertoire.

PROGRAM |

Italian Concerto in F BWV 971 | for Harpsichord and strings
Double concerto in c BWV 1060R | for Harpsichord, Bassoon and strings
Ich habe genug BWV 82 | for Bass, Bassoon, strings and continuo
Brandenburg concerto in G BWV 1048 | for 2 Violins, Viola, Cello, Bassoon, Violone and continuo
Brandenburg concerto in D BWV 1050 | for Bassoon, Violin, Harpsichord and strings
Bassoon Concerto in A BWV 1055| for Bassoon, strings and continuo

"Zippel Fagottist" will be the first programme in the new programming series "Pocket BACH", this time with bassoon in the leading role.

With "Pocket BACH", FLANDERS BACH-CONSORT will get creative with mainly instrumental (but also vocal) works by Bach. These works will be examined and linked to a new|different instrument. In this way, we hope to make Bach's oeuvre even broader and more accessible with FLANDERS BACH-CONSORT.