Cohen and H&H open the season with the splendors of Buxtehude and Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach so revered Dietrich Buxtehude that he walked 250 miles from Arnstadt to Lübeck just to hear his music in person. For the 20-year-old Bach, the elder composer represented everything he hoped to be—an autonomous musician with a flair for both drama and subtlety. Bach knew Buxtehude’s music through study. But hearing it live made a lasting impression, and the young composer crafted many of his later works with the same ear for spectacle. That blend of reverence and urgency provided the ideal vehicle for guest conductor Jonathan Cohen and the Handel and Haydn Society, who offered cantatas by Bach and Buxtehude in their season-opening program at Symphony Hall on Friday night. Bach’s cantatas vary widely in form, though many of his biggest works showcase a vibrancy and power. Buxtehude's surviving cantatas are smaller on scale. Yet they routinely capture reflective solemnity. They also, at times, channel an amusing levity. His D...