J.S. Bach the Art of Fugue

CHANNEL CLASSICS CCS SA 38316 J.S. Bach The Art of Fugue Rachel Podger Brecon Baroque Johannes Pramsohler Jane Rogers Alison McGillivray Marcin Świątkiewicz 1 Rachel Podger Rachel Podger, violin and director and Brecon Baroque “There is probably no more inspirational musician working today than Podger” The dynamic ensemble Brecon Baroque (Gramophone). Over the last two decades consists of an international line-up of some Rachel Podger has established herself as of the leading lights in the period-instrument a leading interpreter of the Baroque and world, including cellist Alison McGillivray, Classical music periods and has recently violist Jane Rogers, harpsichordist Marcin been described as “the queen of the Świątkiewicz and violinist Johannes baroque violin” (Sunday Times). She holds Pramsohler. The ensemble specialises in numerous award-winning recordings to mainly one-to-a-part performances but also her name ranging from early seventeenth- appears as a small baroque orchestra for century music to Mozart and Haydn. She Vivaldi, Telemann, Purcell and Handel. was educated in Germany and in England Rachel and Brecon Baroque’s debut CD, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Bach Violin Concertos, attracted universal where she studied with David Takeno and critical acclaim and was quickly hailed as Micaela Comberti. a benchmark recording of these works. Rachel has enjoyed countless colla- Bach Double and Triple Concertos, was borations as a director and soloist with released to rave reviews in 2013 including musicians all over the world. Highlights CD of the week nominations for Classic include Jordi Savall, Masaaki Suzuki, The FM, BBC Radio 3 CD Review, HR2 Kultur Academy of Ancient Music, Holland Baroque (Germany) and WQXR (New York). The Society, Tafelmusik (Toronto), Philharmonia group’s third disc, a complete recording Baroque Orchestra, and The Orchestra of of Vivaldi L’Estro Armonico concertos the Age of Enlightenment. She is resident was Record of the Month for both the artist at Kings Place for their 2016 season BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone titled Baroque Unwrapped. Magazine, was awarded a Diapason d’Or, Rachel has won numerous awards and won the 2016 BBC Music Magazine including a Baroque Instrumental Concerto Award. Gramo phone Award for La Stravaganza Rachel Podger ©Jonas Sacks (2003), two BBC Music Magazine awards 2 3 Johannes Pramsohler ©Matthew Brookes Jane Rogers ©Chris Stock Photography 4 5 4 5 for Guardian Angel (2014) in the instrumental as a guest of the Berlin Philharmonic The Amsterdam Conservatorium and The Marcin Świątkiewicz, harpsichord category and for Vivaldi L’Estro Armonico with its early music ensemble Concerto Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. Marcin Świątkiewicz is one of the foremost (2016) in the concerto category and multiple Melante. His first solo CD of world premiere She has recently qualified as a Bach Flower Polish harpsichord players, appreciated Diapasons d’Or. recordings of violin concertos from Dresden Remedies Practitioner with a view to setting equally in solo and chamber music repertoire Rachel is founder and Artistic Director was nominated for the International up workshops on performance anxiety for and known for his inventive basso continuo of the Brecon Baroque Festival. She is a Classical Music Award. A desire for artistic actors and musicians. realisations. He is a versatile musician dedicated educator and holds honorary independence even in the recording studio whose interest is directed towards historical positions at both the Royal Academy of led Johannes to found his own CD label, Alison McGillivray, cello keyboard instruments, improvisation and Music and the Royal Welsh College of Audax Records. Since then he has released Alison McGillivray studied cello at the composition. Music and Drama and is a regular visitor six more CDs which have been awarded RSAMD (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) He is the finalist of the 1st International to The Juilliard School. In October 2015 Gramophone Editor’s Choice, BBC Music with William Conway and became hooked Volkonsky Harpsichord Competition in Rachel was the first woman to be awarded Magazine CD of the Month and nominated by Early Music while studying with Jennifer Moscow (2010) and 4th International the prestigious Royal Academy of Music/ for the German Record Critics’ Award. Ward Clark at the Royal Academy of Music. Telemann Competition in Magdeburg (2007). Kohn Foundation Bach Prize. Rachel Podger Alison played in London for many years as In 2016, Marcin won a ‘Paszport Polityki’ is managed worldwide by Percius. www. Jane Rogers, viola principal cellist and soloist with the Academy award in the Classical music category. percius.co.uk Welsh-born violist Jane Rogers studied of Ancient Music and the English Consort. Marcin’s discography includes solo, at the Royal Academy of Music with John Her solo recordings include CPE Bach chamber, and orchestral recordings for Johannes Pramsohler, violin, viola White, Stephen Shingles and Jan Schlapp. Cello Concerto with the Academy of Ancient labels such as Channel Classics, Decca, Born in South Tyrol and now living in Paris, She was a member of the European Union Music and Geminiani Cello Sonatas with Linn Records. He has collaborated with baroque violinist Johannes Pramsohler has Baroque Orchestra and went on to play with David McGuinness (Linn Records). Recent Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque, Arte Dei in recent years become one of the most some of the foremost baroque ensembles in albums include music by Tobias Hume Suonatori, Capella Cracoviensis, among versatile representatives of his profession. Europe dividing her time between touring, with Concerto Caledonia, Vivaldi L’Estro others. As artistic director and first violin of his own recording and teaching in a career spanning Armonico with Rachel Podger & Brecon Marcin holds a PhD from the Karol group, Ensemble Diderot, he brings to life 25 years. Jane is currently principal viola Baroque, and Nine Daies Wonder with The Szymanowski Academy of Music in unknown repertoire with great precision with Brecon Baroque,The Academy of Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments. Katowice, Poland, where he currently and a keen sense for significant rarities. He Ancient Music, La Nuova Musica and the Alison is based in Glasgow, and as a teaches. He obtained his Master’s degree regularly performs as soloist with orchestras Kölner Akademie. She is visiting professor Feldenkrais Method practitioner combines from the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, such as Budapest Festival Orchestra under of baroque viola and viola d’amore at the her skills to explore how the way we move The Netherlands, where he studied both Iván Fischer, Taiwan Baroque Orchestra, Royal Academy of Music in London, the can influence the music we make. harpsichord and composition. European Union Baroque Orchestra and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, 6 7 Alison McGillivray ©Karen Hunter Marcin Świątkiewicz ©Leszek Zych/Polityka 8 9 8 9 Bach – The Art of`Fuge have been a deep and practical knowledge There was also a more frustrating the combination and alternation of galant John Butt of the thoroughbass tradition, which element within this life-structuring pathway. and intractable, contrapuntal, elements is generated whole sequences of pieces from Several commentators were beginning extremely striking. Fugue and the art of counterpoint are often bass patterns, and – particularly important to feel that certain aspects of Bach’s Whatever the extent of Bach’s bruised almost bywords for Bach the composer. – the imitation of past models. Therefore, compositional output were out-of-date feelings, his work during the last decade of Certainly, from the viewpoint of many later much of what Bach learned about fugue or simply over-wrought. Matters came to his life seems to show a desire to perfect generations, he was the first composer came from his own improvisations and his a head with the public dispute (1737-8) as much as he could the musical styles to make fugue the basis for a whole and close study and copying of well-crafted initiated by Bach’s former fellow Leipziger, and techniques that he believed essential complete piece of music, one that often pieces. This early discipline seems never the organist and journalist J.A. Scheibe. He to composition. He doubtless felt that if he seemed to serve no purpose beyond the to have left him, since he later put himself complained of the composer’s bombastic didn’t do this, the craft and knowledge of ‘purely musical’. In a sense, this must through the school of Fux after the latter’s excess of art and technique, and his lack music would die with him. Primary among surely be right: while there are countless famous counterpoint treatise was published of sympathy for the singers of his church the genres he ‘researched’ was the fugue, fugal compositions before Bach, very few in the 1725 (thus even after he had already music. Bach was doubtless quite hurt by something that was considered by many share the same relentless, yet expressive, composed the Well-Tempered Clavier, book this attack (and he clearly encouraged the to be extremely outmoded and often cohesion, and most that were written outside 1). And Bach continued to participate in an lecturer J.A. Birnbaum to take his side considered an unnecessary element of the keyboard sphere were associated ongoing dialogue of contrapuntal exercises and construct strongly-worded replies). compositional training. Perhaps Bach’s late with a text and liturgical function. There is with his eldest son during the 1730s. What is particularly interesting is that, as works were meant to provide a training for something about Bach’s fugal composition Therefore, his restless self-teaching habits a composer, he developed two, almost later generations – something which, to all that immediately places it at the service of were coterminous with his evolving profile contradictory, reactions to this criticism. intents and purposes – they actually did. It composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, as one of the most prolific and successful One was to increase the ‘modern’ and was in this context that Bach put together Brahms and Schoenberg.

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