REVIEW: 'Bach and Friends' on DVD

It may be suicidal to say this, but if you want to learn about composers, ask a musician, not a music critic. Often people who make music can talk about it in ways that nonmusicians can understand without resorting to jargon.

That's what makes "Bach and Friends," a two-hour documentary by Michael Lawrence, so enjoyable. The film explores the life and works of Johann Sebastian Bach not through the eyes of historians and academics, but from the perspective of musicians who play his works. Through the nearly two hours of interviews and performances Lawrence hammers home a consistent theme: Bach is important because his music is fun.

Well-known names in the classical world figure prominently in the documentary: Manuel Barrueco, Phillip Glass, the Emerson String Quartet. Lawrence also spoke to musicians who made their names outside the classical world, including bluegrass legend Bela Fleck, bassist Edgar Meyer and ukelele player Jake Shimabukuro.

But this is not a documentary for musicians. Lawrence makes the case that Bach's music is universal – literally, if you consider that the composer's recordings are on the Voyager spaceship that is right now hurtling through the galaxy. The people interviewed talk about Bach's music and life in a way that makes the composer grounded and, more importantly, accessible. That's demonstrated in interviews with Fleck and Chris Thile, the mandolin player and former lead singer of Nickel Creek. They argue that folk musicians have embraced Bach's music recently. Thile says he gets the biggest audience reaction when he throws some Bach into his concerts.

Even at two hours, Lawrence doesn't tell the complete picture. Musically, the film focuses on Bach's pieces for specific instruments – organ, cello, clarinet – and his famous works like the Goldberg Variations, the Chaconne and his many, many fugues. Bach's choral works and his church music, such as the Mass in B Minor are noticeably absent.

But that's a minor shortcoming of an otherwise well-produced documentary. "Bach and Friends" succeeds at not only telling why Bach is still beloved, but also showing it.

Check out the trailer for the film below. You can contact Michael Lawrence here.