This album is the culmination of an extraordinarily fruitful artistic collaboration that took place at the 2022 Boulder Bach Festival in Boulder, Colorado. The recordings were made immediately after the conclusion of the public concerts. They document four of the festival’s many memorable musical interpretations, thanks not only to the many talented artists, but also to the kindness and generosity of countless members of the community and region. Although many musicians from around the world came to Boulder, the festival also featured some notable local artists. The entire project took place against the backdrop of one of the most majestic natural landscapes in the world.

Under the direction of directors Zachary Carrettin and Mina Gajić, the artists – all of whom had extensive experience with period instruments or singing in period ensembles – experimented with a novel interpretive approach: they transposed historical idioms into modern instrumentation. Nevertheless, some historical nuances were added, such as a baroque bow for the double bass and a classical viola bow. These musical choices were made by ear, with the vast professional experience of each player factoring into each choice. Rather than calibrating the musical interpretation to a specific historical setup, the musicians took the opposite approach, matching their setup to the overarching interpretation. This strategy revived the radically authentic spirit of discovery, experimentation, and risk-taking that was the hallmark of the historical interpretation movement, now in its seventh decade.