The opening of this sonata in D minor, performed by Matthias Havinga for All of Bach, has an uncertain and emphatically andante sound. To the ears of seventeenth and eighteenth-century musicologists the key of D minor represented melancholy, devotion, solemnity and seriousness. Following this tentative start, Bach launches into experimentation, by juggling motifs almost wildly and searching for new keys.

Recorded for the project All of Bach on September 21st 2016 at the Sint-Bavokerk, Haarlem. If you want to help us complete All of Bach, please subscribe to our channel bit.ly/2vhCeFB and consider donating bit.ly/2uZuMj5.

For the interview with organist Matthias Havinga on Sonata No. 3 in D minor go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSdzFW-9OWg
For more information on BWV 527 and this production go to allofbach.com/en/bwv/bwv-527/

All of Bach is a project of the Netherlands Bach Society / Nederlandse Bachvereniging, offering high-quality film recordings of the works by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by the Netherlands Bach Society and its guest musicians. Visit our free online treasury for more videos and background material allofbach.com/en/. For concert dates and further information go to www.bachvereniging.nl/nederlandse-bachvereniging.

Matthias Havinga, organist
Organ: Christian Müller, 1738