PREVIEW NOTES

Pamela Frank, violin; Nobuko Imai, viola; Clemens Hagen, cello Tuesday, April 8 – 8:00 PM Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Program , BWV 988 [Arr. Sitkovetsky] Born: March 31, 1685 in Eisenach, Germany Died: July 28, 1750 in , Germany Composed: 1741 Last PCMS performance: Mikhail Yanovitsky, 2001 Duration: 57 minutes

The "Goldberg Variations” is the last of a series of keyboard music Bach published under the title of Clavierübung and is often regarded as the most serious and ambitious composition ever written for . Based on a single ground bass theme, the variations display Bach's exceptional knowledge of musical styles and his virtuosic performing techniques. The work is often considered to sum up the entire history of Baroque variation, much like Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations of the Classical period. However, doomed perhaps by its requirements of virtuoso techniques from a performer, it was not as well known as the Well‐Tempered Clavier, which was not published during the 's lifetime. Regardless, many have long regarded the work as the most important set of variations composed in the Baroque era.

The origin of the variation’s name is still under debate. The popular title of “Goldberg” owes its existence to early Bach historian . According to Forkel, Hermann Carl von Keyserlingk requested that Bach write a work for his house harpsichordist, . Keyselingk, who suffered from insomnia, wished that Bach’s composition would be light and lively in hopes that it would cheer him up during his sleepless nights. Many modern scholars are skeptical of this story, mostly because there is neither documented evidence of the work being commissioned, nor is there an official dedication in its published title‐page, thus contradicting the custom of the day.

The work consists of an , thirty variations, and a da capo, for a total of thirty‐two pieces. The variations are based on a thirty‐two‐measure theme, exposed in the ostinato bass line of the aria. The aria is written as a binary dance with repeats, consisting of two parts of equal length of sixteen bars each. This symmetrical structure is a prevailing feature in all of the variations. In contrast, individual variations equip themselves with a unique character by having different time‐signatures, the associated duration of the harmonic rhythm and other melodic materials. The concept of symmetry is also reflected in the overall shape of the work, as the thirty‐two pieces are grouped into two parts. The second part begins with No.16, which is in the style of a French Overture. This piece is strategically placed after No.15, a canon written in G minor, so that the musical impact of the overture is effectively amplified by the vivid contrast.

The arranger, Russian‐born violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky, founded the New European Strings Chamber Orchestra in 1990 and has enthusiastically practiced the art of transcription for many years. Producing more than 25 new string arrangements of chamber and keyboard works, this creative adaptation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations for strings, cast a fresh light on that formidable monument of keyboard music. The New York Times called it “robust, joyous and full of insight.”