Description

Gavotte en Rondeau from Violin Partita No.3( BWV 1006 )Paper, daylight and candles were often in short supply duringBach’s very busy lifetime but simply to …view the autograph scorein his hand of the Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin is to bebound into a spell by the beauty, skill and extempore furiosityof the script. The cycle has been described as a miracle of impliedharmony and rich harmonic textures, ‘its freshness and maturity,its depth, its beauty, its response to all moods’ informing a workof humanity and genius unparalleled in all the literature for soloviolin.The present arrangement of the Gavotte en Rondeau fromPartita No. 3 (BWV1006) is based on Rachmaninoff’s intricateharmonisation for piano.Ruht Wohl from the St. John Passion( BWV 245 )In the final Chorus from the St. John Passion, Bach imbuesthe popular dance-forms of the Sarabande and Minuet with aspiritual theme of atonement and reconciliation. The threeritornelli stand like pillars in a palindromic structure whoseunbroken melodic line and flowing counterpoint represent a’ timeless continuance ‘. The original scoring is light andtransparent, and transfers appropriately to a choir of celloswithout the loss of any counterpoint.Prelude Op. 25 No 3 b y RachmaninoffThroughout his career as a composer and virtuoso pianist,this Prelude was one of Rachmaninoff’s favourite pieces and hededicated it to his teacher Alexander Siloti.A powerful structure is built up from a small rhythmic motif,reminiscent of Tchaikovsky’s representations of fate orShostakovich’s of looming state power. This is contrasted witha lyrical middle section and a final phrase marked leggieroin which the music flies off into the air like a bird.