West Cork Chamber Music Festival: Divertimento – Rosanne Philippens, violin & Julien Quentin, piano
$12
Johann Sebastian Bach — Violin Sonata No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1014
Johann Sebastian Bach — Violin Sonata No. 3 in E major, BWV 1016
Rosanne Philippens, violin
Julien Quentin, piano
Johann Sebastian Bach – Violin Sonata No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1014
Igor Stravinsky – Divertimento from The Fairy’s Kiss
Johann Sebastian Bach – Violin Sonata No. 3 in E major, BWV 1016
This year marks 50 years since the death of Stravinsky. His Divertimento is an arrangement that he and Samuel Dushkin made of excerpts from his ballet The Fairy’s Kiss. The ballet was intended as a homage to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky that involved borrowing a wide selection of lesser-known Tchaikovsky pieces and transforming them in Stravinsky’s inimitable style. The music is prime Stravinsky, largely based on lesser Tchaikovsky. It tells the story based on Hans Andersen’s Ice Maiden, who returns to claim her own his wedding day.
Earlier in this Series of Festival concerts, we heard J.S. Bach’s E major Violin Sonata played on period instruments with harpsichord, baroque violin, and viola da gamba. With modern instruments, Bach takes on a different allure. It is surprising these six Sonatas are not better known with each Sonata having two glorious slow movements. Anyone who has enjoyed Bach’s Violin Concertos will also love these lesser known gems. Their faster movements are equally enjoyable in the hands of sensitive performers like Rosanne and her regular recital partner, Julien Quentin.
The broadcast will take place at 8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific. Streaming through July 26.