Rowan Williams on Bach and the Daily Discipline of Silence

Rowan Williams is a British theologian and poet. From 2003-2012, he served as the Archbishop of Canterbury — a role that placed him, along with the British monarch, at the head of the Anglican Church. As one of today’s most influential religious leaders, Williams has often been the subject of both praise and controversy for his outspoken views, including as a critic of the Iraq War and a proponent for LGBTQ+ inclusion. In the years since Williams first heard Bach’s Cello Suites as a college student, he has returned to them again and again. In this episode, Williams explores the connection between music and joy, and explains how listening to Bach feels similar to religious contemplation. This recording of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Suite for Cello Solo No. 1 in G featured on this episode comes from Jian Wang’s 2005 Deutsche Grammophon record, “Bach: The Cello Suites.”

You can listen to Rowan Williams on Bach and the Daily Discipline of Silence online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Rowan Williams on Bach and the Daily Discipline of Silence is an episode from The Open Ears Project by WQXR & WNYC Studios.

This episode is 00:13:05 long.

This episode was published on Apr 1, 2024.

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