Gardiner Professor of Music at University of Glasgow John Butt hit the UK classical music charts by representing a new version of J.S. Bach’s “Magnificat”. As well as BBC Radio 3 selecting his work as the best CD of the week.
Professor Butt commented: “The thing people like about it is not only its appropriateness to Christmas and joyful sounds but a fresh perspective on this very well-known music”.
Together with Edinburgh-based Dunedin Consort orchestral and choral conductor, John Butt attempted to go back to the origins of Bach’s “Magnificat” to represent it as it was originally sounded in the eighteenth century. Within only a fortnight of release, his work took the third place in UK classical music charts.
Professor Butt later said: “We have conducted a particular research and tried to see what this peace was in original context in the service of 1723”, and added that this piece of music is highly associated with Christmas which makes it enormously attractive for the listeners.
