For half a century his life has been his music. And on this long and wondrous way the German composer and guitar player Friedemann has come across some deep rivers and some high mountains. Or as he himself puts it: »The music has made me poor and rich, happy and unhappy. It makes me ill and it heals me. It frustrates me, frightens me and gives me hope. Sometimes I hate it. But, it lives within me; it nourishes me and it inspires me to new deeds.«
SACD review: When Friedemann was in the studio with his long term »sound master« Johannes Wohlleben mixing the audio for the DVD of the same title, the video was always running along with the sound track. This is standard practise to make sure that sound and picture are in sync and compatible. But there were certain moments when Friedemann shut his eyes. He wanted to »see the music« rather than the musicians.
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784), considered by many the most talented of J. S. Bach's children, is also the least known of the great master's three composing sons. In contrast to his father's orderly, wholesome and responsible lifestile, Wilhelm Friedemann's was erratic and characterized by excesses. Add to that a puzzling inability to "market" himself, and you will easily understand why this genius ended his life in abject powerty.