J. S. Bach:
Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
Today, we are so accustomed to hearing some of Bach's works played in a meditative style that it has become a “tradition” to interpret the Adagio from BWV 1001, the first piece in this cycle, in a very calm and restrained manner. However, if we focus our attention on these fast notes, these modulations and strong dissonances on heavy beats...
Be Solo – Be Alone could also mean that he was processing the loss of his beloved wife Barbara Bach with these works. Imagine hearing this Adagio played on an organ, Bach's favorite instrument. Powerful and full of dissonance. The affects Bach uses here paint a nervous, painful, sighing, agitated soundscape.
What effect does the affect have?
Today we are so used to hearing some works by Bach played in a meditative character that it has become a "tradition", for example the Adagio by BWV 1001, the first piece of this cycle, to be interpreted very calmly and calmly. Let us direct our eyes, however, to these fast tones, these modulations and strong dissonances on difficult cycle times ...
Be Solo - Be Alone could also mean that with these works he came to terms with the loss of his beloved wife Barbara Bach. Imagine hearing this Adagio played by an organ, Bach's favorite instrument. Powerful sound and full of dissonances. The affects that Bach use here create a nervous, painful, sighing, excited sound.
Published by ARS in January 2022
It is rather rare for musicians to engage in collaboration with musicologists. However, as my close collaboration with Austrian music historian Dagmar over several years shows, it can be an extremely exciting and rewarding partnership. The music historian dealt in depth with the hitherto rather neglected topic of Baroque affect theory, while my task in this project was to transform her theoretical knowledge into musical art, so to speak.
So, what's this all about? “You have to play from the soul, not like a trained bird,” wrote German composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in his piano method (1753), thereby striking—and by no means coincidentally—the exact nerve of the musical thinking of his time, an era that was not yet dominated by technical virtuosity but rather by the expression of human emotions (“affects”). The “affect” determined not only the entire composition, but also the performance: just as the composer was supposed to imitate various affects musically in every (!) piece of music, the performer's task was to recognize these affects and convey them to the listener exactly as the composer intended, touching them emotionally. Or, in the words of Michael Praetorius (1619), music should “move the hearts of the listeners and stir their affectus.”
Knowledge of Baroque affect theory and the correct interpretation of the many elements of musical rhetoric allow Bach's Sei Solo to appear not merely as challenging violin literature, but rather as a fascinating reflection of the human soul, in which the expression of each note is truly important. Saltus, gradus, exclamatio, suspiro, and the many other secrets of affect theory were applied for the first time ever in this recording. The entire Sei Solo, the result of almost four years of intensive study of the work, was recorded on CD as a research project of the Mozarteum University Salzburg and released by Ars Produktion in 2022. I recorded them on a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini from the Austrian National Bank's collection of valuable string instruments – strung with special baroque strings from the Viennese string company Thomastik-Infeld.
Bach in Movement
An evening of emotions: Bach's Sei Solo in a dialogue between music, dance, and science Johann Sebastian Bach's Sei Solo, consisting of three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin, is a central work of the Baroque repertoire. This innovative concert project illuminates Bach's masterpieces through a synergistic fusion of music, dance, and musicology. It not only opens the door to a deeper musical experience, but also invites a new, integrative perception of these works.
This multidimensional performance allows the audience to experience Sei Solo on different levels – intellectually, emotionally and sensually. Through the combination of music, dance, and scholarly interpretation, Bach's works are presented in a new, contemporary context. This multidisciplinary approach appeals to both connoisseurs of Baroque music and a broader audience seeking profound cultural experiences. “An Evening of Emotions: Bach's Sei Solo Revisited” is a unique experience that transcends the boundaries of a traditional concert. It is an invitation to explore the complex beauty of Bach's music through a multi-layered, interactive performance. This event promises to touch and enrich both the heart and the mind, offering the audience an unforgettable journey through one of the most significant works in music history.
28.02.2025 Palace of Culture Iași, „Henri Coandă” hall
Daniel Auner, violin / Dagmar Glüxam, musical narration / Agnes Guk, Ballet