Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

Miriam Fried, one of the world’s pre-eminent violinists, returns to Curtis to shepherd the students through Johann Sebastian Bach’s sonatas and partitas for solo violin. The sonatas and partitas for solo violin (BWV 1001-1006) are a set of six, three sonatas and three partitas he composed in 1720. On Stage At Curtis features two sonatas and one partita. The program:

Bach: Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006
Ania Filochowska, violin

Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006 is the last in the set of six sonatas and partitas. This partita is described as jubilant dance movements. The movements are marked: Preludio; Loure; Gavotte en rondeau; Menuet; Bourée and Gigue

Bach: Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003
Alexandra Switala, violin

In this sonata, the free nature and slow tempo of the first movement Grave almost signals like a prelude to the coming movements. The movements are marked: Grave; Fuga; Andante and Allegro.

Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001
Maria Ioudenitch, violin

Sonata No.1 in G minor, BWV 1001 is the shortest sonata of all the sonatas. This is the first sonata Bach wrote and the most often played. It is the least complicated compared to the other sonatas in the set. The sonata has the slow-fast-slow-fast four-movement pattern. The movements are Adagio; Fuga: Allegro; Siciliana and Presto.