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{ SUITES Bach Britten Stravinsky } J. S. BACH – Partita No. 2 in D Minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004 Allemanda Corrente Sarabanda Giga Ciaccona Johann Sebastian BACH’s Sei Solo – a violino senza Basso accompagnato (pub. 1720) was composed during a period of sudden interest in polyphonic violin writing. Some of the first surviving works of its kind include Heinrich Ignatz Franz Biber’s Passacaglia for solo violin (c. 1676) as well as several collections of solo violin works by Johann Paul von Westhoff. Among Bach’s own works, there is also the 6 suites à Violoncello solo, even though the penmanship of the cello suites have come under scholarly scrutiny. Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 sets off with a fairly conventional Baroque four-dance suite of Allemande – Corrente – Sarabanda – Giga. Unlike his other partitas, there are no doubles following these first four movements, nor are there the added gallantries of minuets between the Sarabanda and Giga. However, this partita stands out from the rest with the addition of a fifth movement, the Ciaccona – a popular Latin American dance form that has since become highly elaborated. The first four movements of the partita feature a sequence of harmonies built on the pitches D, C-sharp, D, B-flat, and A as a head-motive, while the Ciaccona creates a basso ostinato out of this sequence upon which a series of 32 breathtaking variations unfold. The Ciaccona alone is often lauded as one of the pinnacles of Western art music. Since the rediscovery of Bach’s work by Felix Mendelssohn, countless composers have scrutinised and marveled at the intricacies and scope of this work. I. Stravinsky – Suite Italienne for Violin & Piano (arr. I. Stravinsky and S. Dushkin) Introduzione Serenata Tarantella Gavotta con due Variazioni Scherzino Minuetto e Finale In the late summer of 1919, the dream-team of Stravinsky and Diaghilev set furiously to work on a new ballet titled Pulcinella. Unbeknownst to many, the relationship between Stravinsky and Diaghilev was no longer as amiable as during the heyday of Petroushka, Le Sacre du Printemps, and L’Oiseau de feu. As a gesture of reconciliation, Diaghilev approached Stravinsky with the idea of a ballet based on an eighteenth-century “commedia dell’arte” libretto along with an arrangement of music that Diaghilev had found in a library in Naples. Of his new ballet, Stravinsky said "Pulcinella was my discovery of the past, the epiphany through which the whole of my late work became possible. It was a backward look, of course—the first of many love affairs in that direction—but it was a look in the mirror, too." Most notably, Pulcinella took Stravinsky in a brand new musical direction. Gone are the lush, colourful scores of his earlier works; instead, Stravinsky’s neoclassical style features transparent textures and balanced harmonies. Pablo Picasso’s drawing on the original Ballet Russes programme booklet. Picasso was also responsible for the design of Pulcinella’s first stage set. The existence of tonight’s Suite Italienne is largely attributed to practicality. Following the success of Pulcinella, Stravinsky made no less than four concert arrangements in hopes that the piece could be heard outside of its theatrical context. As Stravinsky took to the road with violinist Samuel Dushkin between 1932-34, they devised this particular arrangement, quite possibly one of the most regularly performed versions with the exception of the cello and piano arrangement by Stravinsky and Gregor Piatagorsky. B. Britten – Suite for Violin & Piano, Op. 6 Introduction March Moto Perpetuo Lullaby Waltz By wizened age of 14, Benjamin Britten (1913-76) was already an accomplished violist, pianist, and composer to over 100 short pieces. Considered one of England’s most significant composers, Britten’s works cover genres ranging from miniature chamber works to full-scale operas. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London and notably received much inspiration from Frank Bridge. As a composer, Britten frequently drew from his British roots. His choices of musical form and harmonic structure as well as his settings of vocal music reflect the long-standing English preoccupation with dances and choral music. Eventually, Britten’s music will come to be known for their Marches, Bourées, Waltzes, and perhaps most notably their epic Passacaglias and Chaconnes. The Suite for Violin & Piano, op. 6, was composed in 1934-1936 for the International Society for Contemporary Music Festival in Barcelona and was premiered there by violinist Anthony Brosa and the Britten himself. In composing this work, the 21 year-old Britten encountered one of his first instances of writer’s block. The piece took on several forms before Britten finally decided on this five-movement form. The work begins with sudden rhapsodic fervour, with the Introduction ending just as quickly as it had begun. A whimsical March follows in a predominantly pianissimo dynamic as the piano and violin parts converse in flashes of lights. There are occasional outbursts of sudden pomposity, but those almost always give way to the soft and fleet textures. An intensely punishing Moto Perpetuo ensues, challenging all aspects of the poor musicians’ rhythmic and virtuosic abilities. The Lullaby inhabits a land of beautifully dainty and pale colours befitting nothing but the most English of things – the violin line weaves intricate melodies atop a piano ostinato part with a fire that is at once subdued and highly passionate as if Britten had been channeling his inner Jane Eyre. Finally, a rambunctious Waltz with the kind of virtuosity that would have made Liszt and Paganini proud brings the work to a resounding close. © Boson Mo 2016