A Musical Offering, BWV 1079, is a collection of canons and fugues based on a single musical theme given to Bach by Frederick the Great of Prussia. The Ricercar a 6 is a 6-voice fugue considered to be the highlight of the entire work and described as possibly the greatest piano composition in musical history.
Mr. Sauer has brilliantly scored Bach's fugue for 14-piece Brass ensemble the texture of which is quite transparent until the ending, which goes out in a blaze of glory.
Instrumentation: 4 Trumpets in C, 4 Horns, 4 Trombones, 2 Tubas (optional single tuba part also included).
The work is about 8 minutes in length and is suitable for advanced performers.
