(8) Harp & Piano
Foto-Copyright:
Henner Fritzsche, Köthen (Anhalt)
Veranstaltungsdetails
Artists Luise Enzian Historical HarpSylvia Ackermann Historical Pianos Programme Friedrich Wilhelm Rust (1739–1796)
Veranstaltungsdetails
Artists
Luise Enzian Historical Harp
Sylvia Ackermann Historical Pianos
Programme
Friedrich Wilhelm Rust (1739–1796)
Sonata No. 2 in G minor
Allegro brillante – Adagio sostenuto – Allegretto
Caietano Schega (18th century)
Fundamentum special: Preludio
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710–1784)
From: 12 Polonaises
No. 2 in D minor
No. 9 in F major
Franz Xaver Köhrer (19th century)
Theme varié pour la Harpe à Corochets, Op. 1
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788)
Fantasie in C major, Wq 59/6
Description
In the musical life of the city of Dessau, Friedrich Wilhelm Rust was the defining figure of the eighteenth century. Born in Wörlitz, his exceptional musical talent was recognised at an early age and strongly supported by the reigning prince, Leopold Friedrich Franz of Anhalt-Dessau. While studying law in Halle, Rust received musical instruction from Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, who was active as an organist in the city. A few years later, the Prince of Dessau financed a period of study in Berlin and Potsdam, where Rust received instruction from the violinist Franz Benda and the royal harpsichordist Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. This was followed in 1765/66 by a journey to Italy, during which Rust met Giuseppe Tartini and Giovanni Battista Martini.
Armed with such a comprehensive musical education, Rust took charge of all musical activities in Dessau from 1769 onwards. He established a regular concert series, founded the Gesellschaftliches Theater, and was appointed court music director. In addition to cantatas, stage works and instrumental music, Rust composed numerous keyboard sonatas, in which virtuosic passages reveal a distinctive musical voice of his own.
As an organist in Dresden and Halle, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was naturally thoroughly familiar with playing keyboard instruments. In the late 1760s, he composed a cycle of twelve Polonaises for harpsichord. These are by no means simply different treatments of the traditional dance form, but rather a series of character pieces based on a carefully structured key scheme. Friedemann used the ascending keys of C, D, E-flat, E, F and G as laid out on the keyboard, composing one Polonaise in the major and one in the minor for each. The only feature common to all twelve pieces is their 3/4 metre; otherwise, they display a remarkable variety of tempo and expression.
As Music Director in Hamburg, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach also devoted himself intensively to keyboard music and, between 1779 and 1787, published an extensive cycle of new compositions. According to the title pages, the six volumes, comprising a total of 37 individual pieces, were intended for Kenner und Liebhaber—“connoisseurs and amateurs”. Behind this deliberately broad formulation lay primarily commercial considerations, as Bach sought to make his compositions accessible to as wide an audience as possible. The strategy proved successful, and the collections enjoyed an unusually high degree of popularity. The volumes contain roughly equal numbers of sonatas, rondos and fantasias. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach notated his Fantasia in C major (Wq 59 No. 6) without bar lines for much of the piece, allowing for the greatest possible freedom of interpretation.
In 1763, the Italian composer Caietano Schega compiled a collection of music entitled Fondamentum Speciat, which was rediscovered only a few years ago at the University of Warsaw. It is the earliest surviving manuscript written for the hooked harp, a historical form of harp without pedals whose tuning can be rapidly altered by a semitone using hooks. More than a century later, the instrument was still in use; Franz Xaver Köhrer, for example, composed a set of variations specifically for the hooked harp.
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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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.
