Zither in the Land of Bach

My ongoing zither journey is bringing me to the Land of Bach at the end of this month! Regular readers may remember that I reconnected to this obscure instrument of my youth quite by accident while exploring late 17th century Bohemian lute music. What I uncovered is a community of talented and progressive musicians who happen to use this versatile instrument to embrace music of all kinds. It is a musical eclecticism that I find energizing.

Three names pop to the top of the list of these eclectic progressives: Martin Mallaun, Harald Oberlechner, and Michal Müller. It was one of those extraordinary opportunities that all three are directing a seminar in a tiny town in Saxony just north of the Czech border. How could I not attend?

This trip will bring me to the heart of Land of Bach: Saxony and perhaps Thuringia. I will, of course, make a pilgrimage to Leipzig and I am thinking of also visiting Eisenach, which has the added attraction of the Wartburg, arguably the cradle of the Reformation.

For some I have been pondering the origins of the magnificently cerebral music of the Baroque. Intellectually I understand the progression of Medieval, through Renaissance, and to the Baroque, but I see a much bigger leap from Renaissance to Baroque than I can account for – and this in a region devastated by the 30 Years' War. How does such beauty and complexity arise from such suffering? I don't know that someone who basks in the sunny days of California can really comprehend.

If all goes well, I will provide a travelogue while there, as I did when I visited Bruges a couple of years ago. Meanwhile, I hope to hear some excellent Bach on the Zither.