Concert: Re-Inventing Bach

Roy Amotz, flute
Elissa Cassini, violin

W. F. Bach – Sonata in Canon – No.1 in E Minor (c. 1720)
Stefano Gervasoni – Due Voci – for flute and violin (1991)
C. P. E. Bach – Poco Adagio – for solo flute from sonata in A Minor
Gervasoni – Folia – for solo violin (2011-12, U.S. Premiere)
J. S. Bach/Gervasoni – Two-Part Inventions arr. for flutes & violin/viola (1723/2009, U.S. Premiere)
J. S. Bach – Chaconne – for solo violin from Partita No. 2 in D Minor
Gervasoni – Phanes – for solo flute (2009-10, U.S. Premiere)

From J. S. Bach to Stefano Gervasoni, this bold juxtaposition of historical extremes offers an innovative exploration of the similarities and contrasts between two treble instruments. Central to the program are Gervasoni’s colorful and imaginative transcriptions of Bach’s Inventions. Both keyboard lines are re-written, using both the violin and the viola in combination with all the flutes, including piccolo and bass flute. From wood to wind or bow to breath, this fertile opposition urges the performers to expand their expressive ranges, seeking a new unity of sound both complex and beautiful. The re-invention of instrumental roles and the reconsideration of the very notions of tradition and innovation leave the listener with the understanding of music’s inherent ability to re-invent itself. Mr. Amotz will speak about the program from the stage.

Described as “truly communicative” (The New York Times) and as “an impeccable and powerful soloist” (Neue Musik Zeitung), Franco-American violinist Elissa Cassini’s performances span a wide and eclectic repertoire, exploring the violin’s full expressive range, from Baroque to Contemporary. While obtaining her master’s at the Juilliard School, she won the Artists International Prize for her Weill Hall Debut in 2009. Upon hearing Elissa play his Anthèmes, Pierre Boulez invited her to the Lucerne festival. She has since premiered many works including a concerto by Nicolas Bacri, Anders Eliasson’s concerto, and Jérôme Combier’s Anima Foglia at Carnegie Hall. She has also collaborated with composers such as Beat Furrer, Georg Friedrich Haas, Alexandre Lunsqui, Philippe Leroux, Tristan Murail and Kaija Saariaho.
www.elissacassini.com

Praised by critics as “Phenomenal” and “breath-taking”, flutist Roy Amotz performs worldwide as a soloist and in various chamber music formations as well as in the orchestral field. His range of musical activity includes early music, classical and romantic repertoire as well as contemporary music. Mr. Amotz won first prizes in the International Flute Competition in Volos, Greece (2007) and in the Pergamenschikov Competition in Berlin with “Trio Vis” in 2009. Mr. Amotz is also currently a member of the acclaimed “Ensemble Meitar”, founded with the objective of performing and recording contemporary Israeli chamber music. The Ensemble’s New York debut at the MATA Festival in 2013 was highly praised by The New York Times.
www.royamotz.com

Stefano Gervasoni began studying composition in 1980 on the advice of Luigi Nono: this encounter, as well as others with Brian Ferneyhough, Peter Eötvös, and Helmut Lachenmann, turned out to be decisive for his career. Gervasoni studied with György Ligeti in Hungary before attending the IRCAM Course in Composition and in Computer Music in Paris, which led to his residency at Villa Medici in Rome in 1995.
www.stefanogervasoni.net

See below:
A Due-Voci – Re-Inventing Bach, and
Elissa Cassini’s 2017 performance of the Bach Chaconne in a French country chapel, Video by Damien Stein.

Free and open to the public; reservations not required.