On Jan. 23, Duke Performances welcomes internationally acclaimed violinist Christian Tetzlaff to Reynolds Industries Theater for a recital that few violinists would even attempt.
“Christian will play two hours and 40 minutes of some of the most complicated and demanding music for solo violin,” said Aaron Greenwald, director of Duke Performances. “And he will play entirely from memory.”
Composed in 1720 by Johann Sebastian Bach, Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin are almost never performed in succession. For decades, the difficulty and length of the pieces have compelled violinists to spread the works over the course of multiple evenings.
“Tetzlaff has shown great chutzpah to program Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas all at once,” said Eric Pritchard, violinist for the Ciompi Quartet. “His program expresses great confidence in his ability to play, his ability to communicate and in the audience’s ability to listen.”
Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas are widely believed to be landmarks in the history of classical music. Intended for a virtuoso soloist, the pieces use the violin in unprecedented ways.
“Bach gives multiple lines of a harmony to an instrument which usually plays one line,” said Eric Pritchard. “His use of the violin was unprecedented, and nobody has been able to do better since.”
Bach’s sonatas follow the format of church sonatas and can be broadly defined as sacred music. On the other hand, the partitas are more akin to the lighter forms of dance than to religious music. Together, Bach juxtaposes the sacred and the worldly. The main exception to this rule is the famous “Chaconne” of the second partita—probably written in response to the death of Bach’s first wife—which is one of the most profound pieces he ever composed.
Sonatas and Partitas show a different, more philosophical side of Bach’s work compared to the Brandenburg Concertos and Goldberg Variations.
“The sonatas and partitas are harder-edged and flintier,” said Greenwald. “They are sweet, searching and wonderful.”
Tetzlaff brings to these pieces an approach which balances historical accuracy with a flair for modernity. Although he has studied the period style, Tetzlaff is less interested in mimicking history than in making the pieces alluring in the present moment. Emblematic of his philosophy, Tetzlaff will play on a modern violin which is not especially common among the upper echelon of violinists.
“He is not a musician driven by dogma,” said Greenwald. “He is not interested in being didactic.”
Tetzlaff also offers to Bach’s works the musical integrity and technical prowess that has gained him widespread prestige. Born in Germany in 1966, Tetzlaff made his concert debut at age 14. He has performed with many preeminent North American orchestras—Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and New York—as well as the London Symphony, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic.
“The evening should have a real arc to it,” said Greenwald. “The pieces should accumulate in profundity.”
Audience members should come rested and prepared for a lengthy evening of music. However, for all of the energy the Sonatas and Partitas asks of its listeners, the work more than repays attention.
Christian Tetzlaff will perform Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Industries Theater. Tickets are $5 for Duke students and $30 for the general public.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.