7th SJE Arts International Piano Series

J.S. Bach:
Four Duets, BWV 802-805
Eighteen Little Preludes, BWV 924, 930, 925-928, 933-43, 999
Fantasia and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 944
Interval
French Overture in B Minor, BWV 831
Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971

Angela Hewitt’s interpretations of Bach have established her as one of the composer’s foremost interpreters of our time.

In September 2016, Angela Hewitt embarked on a four-year ‘Bach Odyssey’ to present all the major keyboard works of J.S. Bach in a series of twelve recitals at major venues around the world. Last season saw performances of Bach Odyssey VIII in Tokyo and Odyssey IX at the Wigmore Hall, London. The final concert, Odyssey XII, in which she takes on Bach’s monumental Art of Fugue, will be performed in New York in May 2020.

The programme for tonight begins with Four Duets, followed by the delightful set of Eighteen Little Preludes that Bach composed for teaching his eldest son. Following the interval, Angela turns to a pair of compositions published in 1735 as the second part of the Clavier Übung II. The French Overture is a large-scale work in eleven movements, that looks to the Versailles court and to the dance suites of Lully. The Italian Concerto by contrast is a lively three-movement piece showing Bach’s familiarity with composers such as Corelli and Vivaldi.

An evening with much to look forward to from the hands of a master.