On the program:
Two-Part Inventions: No. 4 in D minor, No. 5 in E-flat, and No. 6 in E, BWV 775-777 - Till Fellner, piano
Missa Brevis in G, BWV 236 (translation) - Cantus Cölln, Konrad Junghänel
Chaconne, from the Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 (arr. Hideo Saito) - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, conductor
TRANSCRIPT:
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Bach chose a solitary voice for this Chaconne. But what if he had the power of a full, modern orchestra?
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It’s a solemn dance that closes the Partita No. 2 for solo violin, but as a single work, the Chaconne has taken on an existence of its own, one that found a new expression through the pen of arranger Hideo Saito.
Coming up, Bach’s Chaconne takes on a new kind of intensity and color through the prism of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Hello, I’m Brian McCreath. Welcome to The Bach Hour from WCRB, a part of WGBH. Each week our program explores both sacred vocal works and instrumental masterpieces by Bach, along with an infinite variety of transcriptions of Bach’s music. On the program today, you’ll hear that modern transcription of Bach’s Chaconne, along with transcriptions of Bach’s music … by Bach! The fourth of what are sometimes called the Lutheran Masses, the Missa Brevis in G major, is coming up this hour.
And you can find more of The Bach Hour at our web site, Classical WCRB dot org. That’s where you’ll find this and past programs available for on-demand listening, as well as resources to enable your own explorations of Bach’s music. Again, that’s at Classical WCRB dot org.
Here is Austrian pianist Till Fellner with three of the 2-part Inventions by Bach. Beginning with the Invention in D minor:
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When Johann Sebastian Bach wrote his 2-part Inventions in the early 1720’s, his intention was to create a set of pieces that would help his son, Wilhelm Friedemann, develop better keyboard skills. They were never intended as concert works. But there’s so much genius packed into them that they’ve proved irresistible to countless pianists. That includes Till Fellner, the performer in the 2-part Inventions in D minor, E-flat major, and E major.
Roughly ten years after he wrote those Inventions, Bach composed a set of four Missae Breves, although “composed” might not be the most accurate term. The Lutheran Masses, as they’re sometimes called, are largely a re-fashioning of movements Bach originally wrote for his cantatas.
The change of setting allowed Bach not only to create works of more versatility – unlike the cantatas, the masses aren’t connected to specific dates on the calendar – it also allowed him to reflect the intrinsic character of those movements through a different language.
For instance, in the Gloria of the Missa Brevis in G major, Bach went back to the opening movement of the Cantata No. 79, which starts with a brilliant duet for horns.
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It’s bright, optimistic music that sets the tone for a text that translates as “the Lord is a sun and a shield; the Lord will give grace and glory…”
Perfect for a mass text that translates as “Glory to God in the highest.” But Bach does more than simply swap out the words in one piece for those in the other. He plays with it a little. So instead of a horn duet, now there’s an even more rapturous sound of a vocal ensemble:
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In all the Missa Brevis in G uses music from four different cantatas for the six movements of the mass.
Hear is the Missa Brevis in G major. Konrad Junghänel leads Cantus Cölln, with soloists drawn from the choir, here on The Bach Hour.
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The Missa Brevis in G major, with movements drawn from on the Cantatas 17, 79, 138, and 179. That’s the fourth in a series that’s also known as the Lutheran Masses by Bach, in a performance by Cantus Cölln and director Konrad Junghänel.
When it’s performed in its original setting, the Chaconne of the Partita No. 2 for solo violin has a power and mystery that comes partly from its context: it’s the final, extended movement of a work that’s otherwise comprised of four relatively brief dance movements. But the Chaconne also exerts its power as a work in its own right. A number of composers, including Brahms, Busoni, and Alexander Siloti, turned the movement into a stand-alone piano piece. More recently, Japanese cellist and conductor Hideo Saito explored the inherent power of the Chaconne through the colors and textures of the modern symphony orchestra.
Here is the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Saito’s transcription of Bach’s Chaconne in D minor, with conductor Seiji Ozawa.
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Cellist and conductor Hideo Saito was one of the seminal classical music figures in Japan. It was in his memory that the Saito Kinen Orchestra was founded in 1984. And it was Hideo Saito who created this transcription of J.S. Bach’s Chaconne in D minor, from the Partita No. 2 for solo violin. The Boston Symphony Orchestra was conducted by the most famous of Hideo Saito’s many students, Seiji Ozawa.
Remember, if you’d like to hear this program again, just visit us online at Classical WCRB dot org.
Thank you for joining me today, and thanks also to audio engineer Antonio Oliart Ros. I’m Brian McCreath, and I’ll hope to have your company again next week here on The Bach Hour.