The Sebastians Present Complete Works of J.S. Bach for Solo Violin

 THE SEBASTIANS PRESENT THE COMPLETE WORKS OF J.S. BACH FOR SOLO VIOLIN ON FEBRUARY 17–18

The Italian Bach / The French Bach Explores Influence on Bach’s Works

Nicholas DiEugenio Performs Bach’s Violin Sonatas and Partitas

Daniel Lee and Jeffrey Grossman Perform Complementary Works By Biber, Jacquet de La Guerre, Pandolfi, and more

New York, NY (January 10, 2024) – On Saturday, February 17, and Sunday, February 18, at 5PM at Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church, the Sebastians present The Italian Bach / The French Bach. The renowned early music ensemble has been widely celebrated for its interpretations of Bach, and these back-to-back programs explore the influence that the Italian and French schools had on his writing through his works for solo violin. 

Like many German-born baroque composers, Bach was predominantly influenced by the Italian and French musical styles of the time. Bach integrated the virtuosic instrumental writing found in Italian repertoire into his ensemble and solo writing, particularly showcasing the brilliant technical capabilities of the violin. Bach’s interest in French music is especially evident through his use of dance rhythms and forms. Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin were completed in 1720 during his tenure as Capellmeister to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen and the six unaccompanied pieces are considered the pinnacle of his writing for the instrument. The Sonatas follow the traditional Italian sonata da chiesa (“church sonata”) format and incorporate other elements of Italian style, including the use of ritornellos, while the Partitas follow the French suite format and make use of various French agrémens or ornaments. 

Artistic Director Jeffrey Grossman says, “Bach’s solo violin works at first feel like a self-contained musical universe—their exceptional technical demands create the richest musical textures imaginable on the violin. But they also show Bach’s capacity to synthesize his contemporaries, to reflect and refract the styles all around him. The free-flowing early sonatas of Pandolfi and Leonard’s contain lyrical and rhapsodic passages that reverberate in Bach’s own adagio movements. The dance rhythms of Senaillé’s sonatas and Storace’s ciaccona point to Bach’s mastery of dance forms. We hope these two recitals highlight some of the interconnectedness of Bach’s musical world.”

The first concert in the two-part series centers around Bach’s Sonatas and also includes works by italian composers Biber, Leonarda, Storace, and Pandolfi, and the second concert features Bach’s Partitas, paired with works by French composers Senaillé and Jacquet de La Guerre. Violinist Nicholas DiEugenio performs the works of Bach and violinist Daniel Lee and harpsichordist Jeffrey Grossman perform the complementary works.

The Sebastians continue their season with Harmony Without Borders on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 5PM at The Chapel of Brick Presbyterian Church. Violinist Daniel Lee and harpsichordist Jeffrey Grossman perform a uniquely conceived recital that interweaves the keyboard music of Jean-Philippe Rameau with violin sonatas of Arcangelo Corelli, continuing the conversation between Italian and French baroque styles.

---

Concert Information 

The Italian Bach  
Saturday, February 17, 2024, at 5PMSaint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
552 West End Ave.
New York, NY 10024
Link: https://www.sebastians.org/event/bach-mini-festival/

Program:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Sei Solo à violino senza basso accompagnato:
Sonata no. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001
Sonata no. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003
Sonata no. 3 in C major, BWV 1005

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644–1704)
Sonata no. 1, “The Annunciation,” C. 90 from Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas (?1674)

Isabella Leonarda (1620–1704)
Sonata duodecima for violin and continuo (Bologna, 1693)

Bernardo Storace (fl. mid-17th cent.)
Ciaccona (Venice, 1664)

Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi (1630– c. 70)
Adagio, from Sonata La Castella, op. 3, no. 4 (Innsbruck, 1660)

Artists:
Nicholas DiEugenio, Daniel Lee, violin
Jeffrey Grossman, harpsichord

The French Bach

Sunday, February 18, 2024, at 5PM
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church

552 West End Ave.

New York, NY 10024

Link: https://www.sebastians.org/event/bach-mini-festival/

Program:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Sei Solo à violino senza basso accompagnato:
Partita no. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002
Partita no. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
Partita no. 3 in E major, BWV 1006

Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1627–93)
Sonata no. 6 in A major (1707), for violin and continuo

Jean Baptiste Senaillé (c. 1688–1730)
Allegro, from Sonata op. 4, no. 5 (Paris, 1721) for violin and continuo

Artists: 
Nicholas DiEugenio, Daniel Lee, violin
Jeffrey Grossman, harpsichord

Ticket Information:
Tickets are available at sebastians.org: In-person digital: $30–$50; Digital only: $20. Students of any age can attend concerts for free by emailing music@sebastians.org (limited availability); Those who would like to attend concerts but cannot afford a ticket, community comp tickets can be requested by emailing music@sebastians.org (limited availability). 

The Sebastians' concerts are made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

The Sebastians' concerts are also supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

---

 

About the Sebastians 
The Sebastians are a dynamic and vital musical ensemble specializing in music of the baroque and classical eras. Lauded as “everywhere sharp-edged and engaging” (The New York Times), the Sebastians have also been praised for their “well-thought-out articulation and phrasing” (Early Music Review) and “elegant string playing… immaculate in tuning and balance” (Early Music Today). Their 2018 unconducted St. Matthew Passion with TENET Vocal Arts was called “shattering” and “a performance of uncommon naturalness and transparency.” The Sebastians’ recent seasons have included dozens of originally conceived programs, including collaborations with poets, choreographers, and actors; a musical installation in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine; programs dealing with musical “immigration” and nationalism; and major works of J.S. Bach led from the keyboard. The Sebastians are currently in residence at the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments.

About Jeffrey Grossman
Keyboardist and conductor Jeffrey Grossman specializes in vital, engaging performances of music of the past, through processes that are intensely collaborative and historically informed. As the artistic director of the acclaimed baroque ensemble the Sebastians, in recent seasons Jeffrey has directed concerts including Bach’s St. John and St. Matthew Passions and Handel’s Messiah from the organ and harpsichord, in collaboration with TENET Vocal Artists, and he is a frequent performer with TENET, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and numerous other ensembles across the country. Recent seasons include his conducting operas of Haydn and Handel with Juilliard Opera, leading Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 with the Green Mountain Project in New York and Venice, and conducting a workshop of a new Vivaldi pastiche opera for the Metropolitan Opera. As musical director for the 2023 and 2019 Boston Early Music Festival Young Artists Training Program, he conducted Jacquet de La Guerre’s Cephale et Procris and Handel’s Orlando from the harpsichord. For thirteen seasons, he toured portions of the rural United States with artists of the Piatigorsky Foundation, performing outreach concerts to underserved communities. Jeffrey can be heard on the Avie, Gothic, Naxos, Albany, Soundspells, Métier, and MSR Classics record labels. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he holds degrees from Harvard College, the Juilliard School, and Carnegie Mellon University. Jeffrey teaches performance practice at Yale University.

###

Photo by Joanna Bouknight