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A TAV Curator's Pick.

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Moog modular synthesizer, ‘Bach to Moog’ is a brand-new album showcasing the reissued Moog Modular Synthesizer, as well as the modern generation of Moog synthesizers, which presents the glorious works of Johann Sebastian Bach in a compelling and contemporary way. The album showcases the newly re-issued Moog System 55 Modular Synthesizer

The album is produced by American-born composer, arranger and record producer Craig Leon, famous for his work with The Ramones and Blondie, as well as his work in the classical arena with such leading artists as Luciano Pavarotti, Joshua Bell and Sir James Galway.

Leon is also celebrated for his seminal synthesizer albums from the 1970s, Nommos and Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 1 which were re-released in 2014 to great acclaim to a new generation of electronic music fans.

On Bach to Moog, Leon blends his love and mastery of classical music, electronic music and synthesizers and is joined by acclaimed British classical violinist, Jennifer Pike (the youngest ever winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition) alongside the Sinfonietta Cracovia.

Pike is also renowned for her "dazzling interpretative flair and exemplary technique", and she has taken the musical world by storm with her unique artistry and compelling insight into music from the Baroque to the present day.

In 1968, the album ‘Switched On Bach’ inspired many musicians of the time to explore the wondrous new world of synthesized music making. This ground-breaking album was the first ever to take standard classical repertoire and interpret it solely on a device which generated new sounds electronically. Although there had been research and sonic experiments earlier, it was after this breakthrough release that the synthesizer entered the mainstream of modern experimental and pop music recording.  The album played a key role in popularizing Classical music performed on electronic synthesizers, which had until then been relegated to experimental and Pop music.  Switched-On Bach was one of the first Classical albums to sell 500,000 copies.

Incorporating a live ensemble, modern multitrack recording techniques, and a violin virtuosa, Leon's ‘Bach to Moog’ album integrates the Moog modular synthesizer into the orchestra as a solo instrument, in ensemble and also as a processor of other instruments. Excitingly, this is also the first album to be recorded utilizing the newly re-issued Moog System 55 Modular Synthesizer, which duplicates and modernizes the iconic Moog modular synthesizers of the 1970s and adds here the modular synthesizer to the palette of a modern classical orchestra. - Moog Muisc

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