My attraction to Bach wasn’t to become a cultured person who talks about his music in the lofty language that signals one’s good taste to others. What I was after was a closeness to beauty. The kind of beauty in life that speaks to the eternal spirit of human creativity and striving. The beauty that I have experienced both in great works of art and in small moments with people I cherish. A beauty that lasts and endures and makes one feel more alive. Or at least understand more what it means to be alive.

A series of Bach performances changed the course of my life.