BachFest is back at the Barrister

“I get by with a little help from my friends,” is one of the most indelible messages from the Beatles. Zuill Bailey’s mentor Paul Rosenthal is down with the Fab’s view.

Bailey, the Northwest BachFest artistic director, has often asked the founder of the Sitka Summer Music Festival, who trained under acclaimed cello master Jascha Heifetz, for advice. Bailey wondered who Rosenthal enjoyed performing with most during his storied career.

“Since Paul saw some of the greatest performers of the last 100 years and performed with so many greats I asked him who he liked sharing the stage with the most and he said without blinking, ‘My friends,’ ” Bailey said. “That left a humongous mark on me.”

When Bailey plays the cello Saturday and Sunday at BachFest at the Barrister Winery, he will be flanked by pals: Chip Phillips, principal clarinet of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, violinist and concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra Kurt Nikkanen, and pianist and Julliard School alum Maria Asteriadou, Nikkanen’s wife.

“It’s always enjoyable working with those who you are familiar with and who you like to be around,” Bailey said by phone from Anchorage, where the Sitka Music Festival, which Bailey serves as artistic director, has been in full swing. “Paul Rosenthal knows what he’s talking about. So I’ll be with some great musicians who are wonderful people and we will play some wonderful material.”

Oliver Messiaen’s poignant “Quartet for the End of Time” will be performed Saturday. The French composer crafted the moving piece while a prisoner of war in 1941 under German captivity. It was first performed in the camp by his fellow prisoners as a short trio.

“It’s a monumental piece,” Bailey said. “I think about it while putting the time and energy into it. I dwell on how the piece was inspired. I think about how they were able to get the instruments. I think about the back stories. To write such a piece when your life could be extinguished at any moment is just amazing.”

Johannes Brahms’ Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano in A minor, Op. 114, and other selections will be performed Sunday. The Brahms piece, composed in 1891, is considered by music scholars an important part of the rebirth of Brahms as a composer after he had declared that he had completed his final work and was retiring from composing. One music scholar wrote that hearing this piece makes it seem as if the instruments were in love with each other.

“The Brahms work is wonderful as well,” Bailey said. “I can’t wait to get back to Spokane to perform and just be back in the city.”

Bailey is based in El Paso but spends much of the year in Spokane and Alaska. “I’m away from Texas 300 days a year,” Bailey said. “I’ve been coming to Spokane for months out of the year for 10 years now. We, as an organization, are connected to the community. We try to connect with the young people, starting in second grade so that they know music is accessible. The arts are important in Spokane. We hope everyone looks forward to BachFest.”

An intimate venue is the best fit for BachFest, according to Bailey. “As the curator and artistic director I wanted to play in a smaller venue, like the Barrister. Concerts are a journey and I want the audience that comes out for the performances to have the best possible experience.”

BachFest, which is starting its 50th year, continues to expand. Bailey and his fellow musicians have visited schools in Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint and Walla Walla. “We at Northwest BachFest keep evolving at BachFest,” Bailey said. “We have a footprint in the community and we’re continuing to go further. We’re trying to make as big of an impact as possible.”

Bailey looks forward to returning to Spokane but he hopes he’s not delayed like he was this morning while en route to a television appearance. “I was stuck since a mama moose and a baby moose were blocking everyone on the road,” Bailey said. “But when you explain that to someone in Alaska, they get it. I saw nine moose walking down the street today. It’s a very different experience than what I have in Texas. But that’s what I love about what I do in Spokane and Alaska. It’s very different but the common denominator is that it’s always about music.”