St.Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh: November 4th
The Programme...
The most interesting characteristic of the music by J. J. Froberger is the expressiveness of his slow movements. Among the works that he produced, there are many pieces which have a title; and often, the titles indicate a melancholic mood. The beginning of the A Minor Suite is a perfect example of Froberger’s expressive style, and the indication he gave (‘laquelle se joue lentement avec discretion’ - play it slowly and with expressive rubato) shows us the correct way to interpret this kind of music. We find the same expressive atmosphere in the Sarabande, while the fast dances - the Courante and the Gigue - are characterized by a strong rhythmic impulse.
Very little is known about the life of Ch. Ritter: he was court organist in Halle and Dresden, and later worked in Stockholm and Hamburg. The only pieces that have survived are the Suites in F sharp minor and C minor for harpsichord, and an organ Sonatina in D minor. The character of his music follows Froberger’s style: the C Minor Suite starts with an ‘Allemanda in discessum Caroli XI Regis Sveciae’ (on the death of King Charles XI of Sweden), and the Suite in F sharp minor has the most beautiful Sarabande ever written.
The Fantasia and Fugue by J. S. Bach is one of his youthful works, probably written around 1708. The Fantasia is a composition of only ten bars in a completely free style, while the Fugue is one of the longest ones: a perpetuum mobile, characterized by a long climax.
W. F. Bach wrote twelve Polonaises - the most important collection before Chopin’s: he announced their publication in 1765. Among all his works for solo keyboard, the style of these pieces is the most personal. The twelve Polonaises employ alternating major and minor keys: the former are bright and optimistic, while the ones in minor keys are the most expressive and beautiful pieces he ever wrote.
The D minor Fantasia is a complex work, probably written around 1770. There are three different sections, with contrasting characters: the very modern ‘Allegro di Molto’, the dramatic ‘Grave’, and the expressive and chromatic ‘Fugue’. These are arranged in a triadic pattern: the first takes the form Allegro di molto, Grave, Allegro di molto; the second, Grave, Fuga, Grave; and the third one, Allegro di Molto, Fuga, Allegro di Molto; giving a geometrical structure to this fine work.