Carmel Magazine

Summer 2017

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Bach with New Hits The Carmel Bach Festival's 80th Season Showcases Diversity B Y D A V I D A R M S T R O N G f it were possible for a person to sit stock-still and pace excitedly around a room at the same time, the Carmel Bach Festival's maestro Paul Goodwin would be that person. Indeed, when he talks about the acclaimed music festival's milestone 80th season, the globe-circling Englishman is the embodiment of controlled passion. For this year's programming, Carmel Bach's inspiration and namesake, Johann Sebastian Bach, is amply represented, to be sure, along with esteemed classical composers such as Mozart, Mahler and Haydn. Perhaps more surprisingly, songs from pop stars Adele, Radiohead and Led Zeppelin occasion- ally appear, too. This is hardly standard fare at classical music festivals. But that's the point. Goodwin, the festival's artistic director and principal conductor, is going for something of a musical mash-up, while staying true to the history and identity of the festival, founded in 1935 as a modest, four-day event in Carmel Mission Basilica and Sunset School Auditorium. An ebullient, smiling conversationalist, Goodwin spoke on a pre-festival visit to Carmel about how the festival has evolved over time, especially on his watch. "One of the things I've done is pull the festival away from Bach, actually,'' he says. ''Through the seven years I've been here, I've changed programming and made it much more var- ied. It's never been as varied as THAT,'' he allows, referring to C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 101 f it were possible for a person to sit stock-still and pace excitedly around a room at the same time, the Carmel Bach Festival's maestro Paul Goodwin would be that person. Indeed, when he talks about the acclaimed music festival's milestone 80th season, the globe-circling Englishman is the embodiment of controlled passion. I

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