(33) Cello Cycle III with Jean-Guihen Queyras
Foto-Copyright:
Marco Borggreve
Veranstaltungsdetails
Artists Jean-Guihen Queyras violoncello Programme Johann Sebastian Bach Cello Suite No. 5
Veranstaltungsdetails
Artists
Jean-Guihen Queyras violoncello
Programme
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor for solo cello, BWV 1011
Prélude – Allemande – Courante – Sarabande – Gavotte I/II – Gigue
Cello Suite No. 6 in D major for solo cello, BWV 1012
Prélude – Allemande – Courante – Sarabande – Gavotte I/II – Gigue
Description
Johann Sebastian Bach most likely composed his six Suites for solo violoncello around 1720 in Köthen; a more precise dating is not possible due to the missing autograph. The musical sources used today are based on later copies made in Leipzig by Johann Peter Kellner (around 1726) and Bach’s wife Anna Magdalena (around 1727/31).
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With these solo works for violoncello, Bach ventured into uncharted territory, as the instrument was still relatively young at the time of their composition: only around 50 years earlier, the designation “Violoncello” had first appeared in a printed ensemble collection by the Italian composer Giulio Cesare Arresti. The word combines the Italian augmentative suffix “-one” with the diminutive suffix “-ello” applied to viola, thus expressing that it is a smaller version of the largest instrument in the violin family, or, as lexicographer Johann Gottfried Walther put it in 1732, a “small bass violin”. The new instrument differed from the highly esteemed viola da gamba in its external form, the absence of frets, the number and tuning of its strings, and its considerably more powerful sound across all registers. This enabled the cello to keep pace with the increasing volume of the Baroque orchestra, while also making it suitable as a solo instrument.
In the Suite in C minor (BWV 1011), Bach requires the highest string to be tuned down by a whole tone (from A to G), resulting in a reduction of the instrument’s tonal splendour in the upper register. This technique corresponds to the work’s restrained, contemplative character as a whole. Even the Prélude, which follows the model of a French overture, appears inward-looking and subdued. The Allemande and Courante continue this impression with expressive turns. The Sarabande then becomes a true character piece, bearing scarcely any resemblance to the dance from which it takes its name. The two Gavottes and the Gigue are strongly profiled rhythmically and lead the suite towards a serious finale. During his Leipzig period, Bach created a lute version of this composition (BWV 995).
And in the final Suite in D major (BWV 1012), Bach once again introduces a technical peculiarity: as a note in Anna Magdalena Bach’s copy demonstrates, the piece was originally intended for a five-string instrument with an additional E¹ string, possibly even for a violoncello da spalla held on the arm. In terms of both sound character and range, Bach pulls out all the stops in this final suite. The Prélude sounds magnificent and irresistibly lively. In its unusual Adagio tempo and with numerous finely crafted ornaments, the Allemande almost takes on the character of a Sarabande, while the Courante once again triumphs with its graceful dance character. Double-stop chords can then be heard once more in the Sarabande, before Gavotte and Gigue bring the entire cycle to a close with speed and passion.
Cello Cycle on Saturday (28) and Sunday (30) (33)
Tickets per concert:20 €, concessions 10 € | Tickets for the complete cycle: 45 €, concessions 25 €
Please note: The venue is not wheelchair accessible.
Zeit
Tickets kaufen
20 € | conc. 10 €
TicketsVeranstalter
Spiegelsaal im Schloss Köthen
Schloßplatz 4, 06366 Köthen (Anhalt)nicht barrierefreiSpiegelsaal im Schloss Köthen
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Concessions
are available to school pupils, trainees and students, people who are
unemployed, and people with severe disabilities. Children up to the age of 6
are admitted free of charge. Holders of a disability pass marked with a “B” are
entitled to a concessionary ticket; their accompanying person is admitted free
of charge with a companion ticket. Free companion and children’s tickets can be
booked by email at tickets@bachfesttage.de or at the Köthen Information Centre.
Please note that the venues are only partially accessible. Concessionary
tickets are only valid upon presentation of the relevant proof of eligibility.
