Bach’s music is back in fashion 334 years after the composer was born, new figures show.
The research released by the Royal Albert Hall and global music streaming service Deezer shows a boom in millennials listening to classical music.
In the last six months, there has been a 270% uplift in streaming of Deezer’s most popular classical playlist, with those under 35 accounting for 43% of listeners.
The data showed that music by Johann Sebastian Bach – who was born 334 years ago on Sunday – has surged among under-35s.
Those under 35 accounted for 32% of all British people streaming the German composer, compared with just 20% of adults over 55, according to Deezer user data.
The jump in popularity is attributed to several factors, with notable surges including a 5% uplift immediately following Princess Eugenie’s wedding and another boost during exam season, as 20% more 18 to 25-year-olds turned to classical music during May and June.
Yannick Fage, Deezer’s global classical music and jazz editor, said: “From our streaming data we can see that classical music has definitely enjoyed something of a revival recently, particularly among younger streamers, fuelled by events like the royal wedding.
“Our most popular classical playlist has experienced a huge surge in streams in the past six months alone. Interestingly, almost half of those streams are from users under 35 – discrediting the widely made assumption that it’s a genre favoured by older listeners.”
Lucy Noble, artistic and commercial director at Royal Albert Hall, said: “It’s exciting to see from the streaming data the growth in under-35s enjoying classical music and in particular Bach. Over the last century, Bach has influenced everyone from the Beach Boys to Lady Gaga and Muse and it’s clear his appeal is now growing once again.
“The Royal Albert Hall‘s world premiere of Bach Evolution responds to this appreciation. The show reinvents Bach’s music for a modern audience and talks to the diverse tastes of millennials by bringing together the great composer with some of the most exciting contemporary musical talent today.”
Bach Evolution premieres at the Royal Albert Hall on May 1. British composer Peter Gregson reimagines Bach’s Cello Suites with Icelandic pianist Víkingur Olafsson joining to play excerpts from his album Johann Sebastian Bach.
Electronic artist Clark will also be debuting a specially-arranged Bach-inspired composition.
Tickets are available at https://tickets.royalalberthall.com.