In this, the third of the concerts in this autumn’s ‘Bach in Istanbul’ festival, French violinist François Fernandez (who took up the Baroque violin at the age of 11, subsequently studying at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague) is to play the following works for solo violin by Bach: the four-movement Sonata No 2 in A minor (BWV 1003), the four-movement Sonata No 1 in G minor (BWV 1001) and the five-movement Partita No 2 in D minor (BWV 1004). This latter work is famous for its Chaconne last movement, considered ‘one of the most masterly and expressive works ever written for solo violin.’ Yehudi Menuhin, meanwhile, described it as ‘the greatest structure for solo violin that exists’.
The set of 6 sonatas and partitas for solo violin (3 of each), although completed in 1720 while Bach was Kapellmeister in Köthen, was not published until 1802 – and indeed these pieces were largely ignored until the famous Hungarian virtuoso Joseph Joachim (1831-1907) began including them in his concert programmes. These are ground-breaking works in that they firmly established the technical capabilities of the violin, and they are now regarded as an essential part of the instrument’s repertoire.
The Wikipedia entry for ‘Baroque violin’ explains the differences between this instrument and the modern violin.
Issue 66, December 2023
Turkey’s Centenary Issue
