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Page 1: BLANK - Glued inside folder · Violin Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV1006 [19’09] 0 I. Preludio 3 ... violin alone. Bach also departs from the Italian practice that notated only the

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JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH 1685-1750

CD1Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV1001 [17’14]

1 I. Adagio 4’212 II. Fuga (Allegro) 5’373 III. Siciliana 3’334 IV. Presto 3’33

Violin Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV1002 [31’05]5 I. Allemanda 5’426 II. Double 2’587 III. Corrente 3’538 IV. Double (Presto) 3’389 V. Sarabande 3’540 VI. Double 3’38! VII. Tempo di Borea 3’38@ VIII. Double 3’34

Violin Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV1003 [24’07]£ I. Grave 4’12$ II. Fuga 8’26% III. Andante 5’49^ IV. Allegro 5’30

Total Playing Time 72’33

CD2Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV1004 [29’21]

1 I. Allemanda 4’222 II. Corrente 2’473 III. Sarabanda 4’234 IV. Giga 4’045 V. Ciaccona 13’35

Violin Sonata No. 3 in C major, BWV1005 [24’15]6 I. Adagio 4’547 II. Fuga 10’308 III. Largo 4’029 IV. Allegro assai 4’39

Violin Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV1006 [19’09]0 I. Preludio 3’27! II. Loure 4’11@ III. Gavotte en Rondeau 2’55£ IV. Menuet I and II 4’58$ V. Bourée 1’24% VI. Gigue 2’04

Total Playing Time 72’47

Richard TognettiViolin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Parma 1759,

played on gut strings at Baroque pitch a’ = 415 HzBow by John Dodd, c. 1800, with a pernambuco stick

and ivory frog and button

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In 1717 Johann Sebastian Bach moved to Cöthen to take up the prestigious position of court music director.His youthful master, Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen (1694-1729) was a passionate lover of music whostudied with Heinichen in Rome. He had a fine bass voice and was an accomplished player on the violin, theviola da gamba and the harpsichord. Although as the son of a Calvinist father and Lutheran mother heremained true to puritan ideals as far as church music went, Prince Leopold was nevertheless acosmopolitan ruler with gusto for both Italian and French styles, and he kept in residence an excellentchamber orchestra comprised of the finest German performers of the time.

Bach’s new situation impacted on his creative output significantly. Until this point in time he had mainlycomposed for the Lutheran church: organ music and monthly cantatas for performance during service. Nowhe was to refocus his energies to direct, compose for and perform in the Prince’s ensemble. Bach createdsome of his best instrumental compositions during this six-year tenure in Cöthen, for instance theBrandenburg Concertos, various chamber sonatas, the suites for solo cello and the Sonatas and Partitas forUnaccompanied Violin (BWV1001-1006).

Historical notes

The Six Solos, as they have come to be called after the title page of their autograph manuscript, are at thesame time glorious and monumental. So much so, that for a long time they have been regarded as“monuments”, some kind of abstract documents of an “ideal” rather than pieces to be played. Musiciansand Bach-scholars in the 19th century likened them to the Art of Fugue and The Well-Tempered Clavier andclaimed that in these works Bach meant to document particular compositional processes and techniques forstudents to study, and that therefore they were not composed primarily with performance in mind. This viewcould be perpetuated for several reasons: firstly, it stemmed from a comment made by Carl Philipp Emanuelin his obituary of his father published in the last volume of Lorenz Christoph Mizler’s Musikalische Bibliothekin 1754, which implied that the polyphony served pedagogical purposes: to develop technique. Secondly, in arare instance, Bach prepared a beautiful fair copy of the works in 1720, perhaps in the hope of publishingthem. Thirdly, the polyphonic style of the compositions was thought to be unusual for the time among worksfor the violin.

More recent research, however, has demonstrated that multi-voiced writing for the violin was not uncommonamong German Baroque composers. Although they are still not as well known today as their Italiancounterparts such as Corelli and Vivaldi, during the Baroque period German violinists and violin makers

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(e.g. the Austrian Jacob Stainer) were just as highly regarded as those from the south of the Alps. Indeed,the “Solo” designation on the title-page of the autograph may imply that Bach had in mind concertperformances by a virtuoso violinist such as Jean Baptiste Volumier (c. 1670-1728), the Dresdenconcertmaster during Bach’s residence. Earlier models include, for instance, Johann Jakob Walther (c. 1650-1717), who was primo violinista di camera at the Dresden court and published pieces in 1688 where two,three and sometimes four strings are played at the same time. Another violinist, whom Bach probably met inWeimar, was Johann Paul von Westhoff (1656-1705). Westhoff knew Walther from Dresden and according tocontemporary records, polyphonic violin playing was his speciality. Another oft-mentioned possible earlymodel for Bach is Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704), especially his 1674 Passacaglia for solo violin.However, the most likely inspiration may have been Johann Georg Pisendel (1687-1755), a former pupil ofVivaldi. Pisendel was a virtuoso violinist and concert master in Dresden who became friends with Bacharound 1709. Pisendel’s 1716 Sonata for unaccompanied violin shows remarkable similarities with Bach’sworks and underlines the significance of their professional relationship. Their friendship must have deepenedwith time, for Pisendel wrote a poem on Bach’s death in 1750.

Another important detail in contextualising the Six Solos is the fact that the works have been regularlyperformed during and after Bach’s life. The many surviving copies (there are at least 16 listed in the New BachCritical Edition) and archival records demonstrate that the works remained in circulation without interruption. A key figure in this regard was Franz Benda (1709-1786), the Bohemian violinist whom Bach met in Leipzig in1734. Benda’s pupils, especially Johann Peter Salomon (1745-1815), regularly performed the pieces in concertthroughout Germany and also in Paris. It is likely that Salomon played an important role in the decision toinclude the Fugue movement from the C major Sonata into Jean Baptiste Cartier’s L’Art du violon published in1798. Another incomplete edition followed in 1802 (Simrock’s Three Sonatas) until in 1842 eventually all sixworks were published in Leipzig under the editorship of Ferdinand David (1810-1873), Mendelssohn’s friend,concertmaster of the Leipzig Gewandhaus and violin professor at the Leipzig Conservatoire.

The year of this edition marks the beginning of the works’ modern reception history even though it actuallystarted a long period of misunderstanding and misrepresentation, as pointed out earlier. Throughout the 19thcentury and up until about the 1930s it was common, for instance, to perform the works with pianoaccompaniment, especially when only selected movements were played. It was Ferdinand David whostarted this tradition in 1839-40 when he insisted that Mendelssohn accompany him during the Gewandhausconcert season because “he [felt] ridiculous stepping up to the concert platform all by himself.” From

Mendelssohn’s hand only an accompaniment to the Chaconne survives, but Schumann prepared a piano partfor the entire set (1853) and many others including Brahms composed various transcriptions, mostly of theChaconne from the D minor Partita. At the same time another violinist from Mendelssohn’s circle, JosephJoachim (1831-1907), became the champion of “authentic” Bach and always performed the works in theiroriginal unaccompanied form.

Also stemming from 19th-century musical sensibility has been the persistent view that written polyphonymust be executed as literally as possible. The difficulty in achieving this on a modern violin prompted theconcocted theory that a special curved bow was in use in Bach’s circles making it possible to play on fourstrings at once. Prominent Bach scholars and performers of the first half of the 20th century, including AlbertSchweitzer and Heinrich Schering, promoted this theory and a few violinists, for instance Emil Telmányi, withthe help of bow-makers Rolf Schröder and Knud Vestergaard, attempted to apply it in practice.

Opposite 19th-century ideas of reverence, technical brilliance and a focus on melodic line, an alternativeapproach has also developed, especially since the 1970s. Inspired by a close study of markings in Bach’sautograph and 18th-century playing techniques in general, violinists using reconstructed Baroque violins andbows have adopted a more rhythmically oriented performance and projected the polyphony as implied ratherthan as notated. Nowadays such readings may also be heard in interpretations with modern apparatus asviolinists have learnt to adapt historical performance practices to their modern violin and bow. On thisrecording a Baroque-styled bow is used and the violin is equipped with gut strings tuned to a’ = 415.

The works

Even with all the historical information at hand, Bach’s works for unaccompanied violin never cease to amaze.Such complexity, such variety, such musical riches on a single instrument with only four strings! No wonderthe Six Solos inspired many in the 19th century to transcribe them for various instruments, including thepiano. They also inspired Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) to compose his own six sonatas for solo violin. But thereare few works for unaccompanied violin apart from technical exercises. Audiences are more accustomed tohear the violin together with other instruments, in ensembles or as the virtuoso soloist of a concerto. For theplayer, though, this solitude is not unfamiliar given the many hours of individual practice and introspection. Tobe able to perfect technique on such musically rewarding, timeless masterpieces makes most violinists’relationship with Bach’s Six Solos special and contributes to the work’s status as the pinnacle of theinstrument’s repertoire.

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What makes the Six Solos so rich and varied is Bach’s intimate familiarity with the two most importantgenres of late Baroque chamber music – the Italian sonata and the French suite – and the fact that heenriched these traditions with that of the North German organ-violinist school, particularly their toccata-likepreludes followed by extended fugues. These traditions are exemplified in the deliberate choice of movementtitles, at times Italian, at times French, and the assured handling of subtle differences between nationalidioms. Typically, Bach thus shows concern for presenting the widest possible range of styles and techniqueswithin the given medium. By alternating the three sonatas with the three partitas rather then ordering theminto two distinct groups he is able to highlight similarities and differences between the genres and styles,even though performing them as a cycle is unlikely to have been on his mind. This ordering also reveals aquasi-cyclic key relationship among the six works: a perfect fifth occupies the centre (between the A minorSonata and D minor Partita) as well as the tonal distance between the first and last sonatas (G minor, Cmajor) and partitas (B minor, E major). Moving outward one finds the interval of a second at each side of thecentral fifth (between the B minor and A minor and the D minor and C major works), followed by a third atthe outer edges (between the G minor and B minor and C major and E major solos).

The three Sonatas expand the Italian model of a slow-fast-slow-fast four-movement structure through theirsheer length and magnitude. The imitative texture created in Italian works through the use of one or twomelody instruments and continuo accompaniment is here developed to unprecedented complexity by the soloviolin alone. Bach also departs from the Italian practice that notated only the basic outline of slow movementsand left it up to the performer to decorate the melody with improvised embellishments. The openingmovements of the G minor and A minor Sonatas are examples of Bach’s artful ornamentation, thoroughlyworked out and carefully notated. They are precious gifts to the modern performer who may use them asmodels for devising ornaments. At the same time Bach’s detailed figuration contributes to the music’senduring quality, as the aesthetic experience only rarely seems to require the addition of further ornaments.

The set opens with the G minor Sonata. For many violinists, hearing the first G minor chord immediatelybrings in the memory of the entire piece. The Adagio first movement is a richly ornate soliloquy with a greatvariety of tonal shadings, chromaticism and subverted cadences. The Fuga second movement is the shortestand most clear-cut of the three fugues. The repeated notes of the subject delineate fugal entries fromepisodic passages naturally and unambiguously. The Siciliana is in place of where a simple air or aria wouldfollow in an Italian church sonata. Instead Bach brings in the element of dance and blends it with polyphony.There is an air, to be sure, but it is a duet rather than an aria, complemented with counterpoint in the lowest

voice, further enriching the texture. The final Presto is one of several perpetual motion movements in the set(the most characteristic of these being the opening Preludio of the E major Partita) showing the influence oforgan toccatas. Cascading fast notes bring the work to a dazzling close but not without reminding the listenerwho the composer really is: hidden polyphony abounds and the attentive listener will be captivated by theindependent fragments alternating and answering each other in different registers.

The A minor Sonata opens with a Grave which has an improvisatory feel similar to that of the previoussonata’s Adagio. The violin provides its own accompaniment on the lower strings for a free-flowing, richlyornate melody. The movement forms a pair with the following fugue as it ends on a half-cadence, the samepitch that starts the next movement. The ending is also noteworthy because of a curious marking in theautograph: a wavy line above both voices followed by a trill sign on the penultimate pitch in the upper voice.Playing a double trill on these intervals of a sixth is hardly possible on the violin. Besides, contemporarysources indicate that such wavy lines were used to denote vibrato (unless they followed the trill sign), whichwas considered by many at the time to be an ornament rather than a part of basic tone production as is thecase today. In this recording the notes are performed with slightly accelerating undulations to create atremolo-like effect leading into the trill.

The Fuga is on a much larger scale than its counterpart in the G minor Sonata. Its simple, unassuming two-barsubject bears a strong resemblance to the composer’s C minor Fugue from Book One of The Well-TemperedClavier. Its potential to serve an extended fugue lasting nearly 300 bars impressed Bach’s contemporaryJohann Mattheson who mentioned this movement in his 1737 treatise, Kern melodischer Wissenschaft (TheEssence of Melodic Composition). The movement exemplifies Bach’s mastery in maintaining polyphonictransparency even though the violinist is required to play double stops almost continuously. The moreidiomatic episodes, using bariolage (rapid changes between strings), scale passages and arpeggiation, lightenthe density of the otherwise generally three-part texture. The inverted form of the subject is also used. Herethe articulation calls for legato pairing of quavers, lending a softer character to the theme.

The Andante third movement follows the principle of its counterparts in the other sonatas in departing fromthe home key (to the relative major in the two minor sonatas and to the subdominant in the third, C majorSonata) and setting the melody against an accompaniment. In this songful aria Bach creates the illusion oftwo violins playing through a constant and even motion in the lower voice providing harmonic support.Ornaments and melodic embellishment added on the repeats, as heard on this recording, would have beentypical in contemporary performances. The concluding Allegro is another example of the virtuosic finale

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common to all three sonatas. It is monophonic in conception and gains energy from rapidly changingdynamics and the alternation of legato and sharply articulated passages.

The third sonata is in C major. It is similar to the previous two in its overall scheme but is on an even largerscale. The first two movements form a close pair because the Adagio functions as an introduction, an“Exordium”, to refer to the rhetorical term commonly used in Baroque compositional theory. Its lack of trulymelodic material but solemnly building polyphonic texture and dotted rhythm throughout are reminiscent ofthe French overture and the imitative ricercar. Just like the Grave in the A minor Sonata, it too ends on adominant half-cadence leading straight into the following Fuga. This movement is widely regarded as thepinnacle of polyphonic writing for the violin, a truly monumental fugue of some 350 bars. Its subject – derivedfrom the chorale “Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott” which itself is similar to the chorale melody “AnWasserflüssen Babylon” – serves a compendium of polyphonic techniques, including inversion, stretto anddouble fugue. In the course of the movement Bach explores the extreme ranges of the violin to create animmense edifice of unprecedented proportions. Bach crowns his monument by repeating the complete firstexposition at the end. This is a typical instance of adapting rhetorical principles to compositional structure. Thestraightforward recapitulation functions as an Enumeration does in a public speech: it assembles the mainpoints to refresh the memory of the listener. The challenges in performing this work were vividly captured byBernard Shaw in his 1890 review of Joachim’s interpretation of this work: “Of course you cannot really play afugue in three continuous parts on the violin; but by dint of double stopping and dodging from one part toanother, you can evoke a hideous ghost of a fugue that will pass current if guaranteed by Bach and Joachim.”

The Largo brings welcome relief with its simple melody and short phrases. Nevertheless Bach keeps to amulti-voiced texture by providing a light and airy accompanying part throughout. Just like the Siciliana of theG minor Sonata, this Largo consists of one through-composed section, as opposed to the binary structure ofthe A minor Sonata’s Andante. The closing Allegro assai is a glittering fast movement that explores theextreme ranges of the instrument. Alternating articulation, shifted stress patterns, rapid arpeggios andrunning scales contribute to the virtuoso effect.

The three Partitas are actually stylised dance suites, each exemplifying a different form of this popular genreof the Baroque period. Bach spells their title partia in the autograph; in Italy such compositions were usuallycalled sonate da camera (chamber sonatas) and were regarded as the secular counterpart of the churchsonata. Whereas in the sonatas the third movements offer a contrast of tonality, the various movements of

each partita are all in the home key. Given their origins in music performed for social dance, the movementsemphasise the rhythmic, harmonic and structural elements rather than the linear or textural, as in thesonatas, and provide variety through diversity of form, musical metre and character.

The first Partita (B minor) consists of four pairs of movements, the second of each pair (entitled Double)being a variation on the first. This would typically fit the conventions of the French suite yet Bach prescribesItalian titles for the dances except for the third pair. The Allemanda is in fact reminiscent of the Frenchoverture style with its prominent dotted rhythms and ornamental flourishes. The occasionally interspersedtriplets typical of the more flowing Italian version of the dance occur only briefly and do not disrupt thestately, angular overall effect. The Double outlines the basic contour of the preceding movement in acontinuous semiquaver motion at an accelerated pace – the time signatures of the respective movementsindicate that Bach probably had a 1:2 tempo ratio in mind. The French element in this Double is the pairedslurring of notes throughout which is likely to imply the use of notes inégales, a French convention wherebyextended sections of evenly notated smaller note values were performed slightly dotted.

Texture and tempo differ considerably between the Italian corrente and the French courante, the former beinglivelier and simpler, while the latter is slower and more contrapuntal, with occasional metrical ambiguity.Bach’s choice of the Italian spelling in this partita is justified by the movement’s monophonic texture,straightforward rhythm and emphasis on virtuoso performance style. The 3/4 time signature is also moretypical for the corrente than the courante, which tends to be written in 3/2. The Double further reinforces theItalian character by way of the Presto tempo marking and the linear running scales as divisions on the moretriadic motion of the original material heard in the Corrente.

The French style of the following Sarabande professed in the title is upheld by the musical material. Comparedto the Italianate Sarabanda of the D minor Partita, this movement lacks the heavy accent on the second beatof its triple metre and is slower in tempo. It is in clear four-bar phrases and its chordal accompaniment lendsitself to the addition of ornaments in the repeats. The Double is a monophonic restatement of the harmony inmostly triadic figuration. The tempo relationship between the two movements is again indicated by Bach’schoice of time signature and note values: the even quavers of the Double’s 9/8 imply a slower execution thanif Bach had notated them as triplets in 3/4, the time signature of the Sarabande.

True to its folk dance origins, the Tempo di Borea is an energetic movement with a rustic quality and strongrhythmic gestures. The musical material is developed from four-bar units. The dance’s characteristic duple metre

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with upbeat can be highlighted in performance by placing emphasis on down beats and playing pairs of crotchetsand series of quavers unequally. Added ornaments may further assist in delineating the basic pulse and four-barphrase structure. The Double is again a melodic statement of the harmonic outline of its parent movement.

The D minor Partita follows the standard sequence of suite movements (allemande – courante – sarabande –gigue) but then a chaconne is added, the length of which is comparable to that of all the other fourmovements combined. The overall mood throughout is serious and noble. The Allemanda follows the simplermodel more typical in Germany and Italy than in France. Instead of an imitative texture involving brokenchords, this movement grows out of the initial D minor scale and takes on the style of a preludio (i.e.introduction or Proposition, to use a Baroque rhetorical term), developing a succession of changingharmonies in a quasi-improvisatory style with malleable rhythmic and pitch patterns. The Corrente thatfollows is fast and derives its energy from the juxtaposition of triplets with dotted rhythms.

The Sarabanda is perhaps the most emotionally charged movement in the entire set. Its opening harmonicprogression foreshadows the beginning of the closing Ciaccona and throughout the movement Bach lavishesexpressive dissonances and ornamental figures on the underlying melody. The Giga brings respite with itsexuberance. The typical 12/8 rhythmic pattern introduced in the first two bars is elaborated into groups ofsemiquavers throughout the rest of the movement. Varied figuration and articulation as well as dynamiccontrast further contribute to the liveliness of the piece.

The Ciaccona (or “Chaconne”, as it was widely described until recently) is of immense dimensions. Invariation form, it is based on a four-bar bass pattern and its harmonisation. This “theme” is repeatedimmediately to form an eight-bar first statement with melodic amplification in the cadential bar. This principleof creating pairs of variations in which the second is an intensified version of the first applies through theearlier part of the movement; the second half works on a larger scale, developing particular ideas overseveral variations. Overall there are three main sections of decreasing length: 31 minor variations followed by19 in the parallel D major and closing with 12 more after the return of the home key. The movement,extending well over 200 bars, calls for endurance as much as for a high degree of virtuosity and a sense oftempo that remains constant regardless of the intensification or reduction of musical elements. The player isrequired to demonstrate the full gamut of Baroque violin techniques: multiple stopping, arpeggiation, largeleaps, repeated notes, bariolage, scales, chromatic motion, and a variety of articulation across the entire

range of the instrument. What impacts on the listener the most, however, is the composer’s richinventiveness with textural, figural and melodic material.

The third Partita is in E major. It is the lightest of them all and includes several movements in the galant stylethat was considered more modern by the 1720s. The French spelling of the titles may reflect a consciousdecision on Bach’s part to draw attention to the progressive elements in the work. The Preludio which opensthe Partita has a concertante feel while also evoking the perpetual motion style of certain organ toccatas.Apart from the Chaconne it was this movement that received the most attention during the 19th- and early20th-century performance history of the Solos, because of its exuberant virtuosity. A slower-pacedperformance, however, makes it easier to perceive the implied harmony and polyphony. The fleetingcascades of semiquavers involve a variety of figuration, including bariolage, and the rapid alternation of loudand soft dynamics.

The Loure that follows is a dance rarely included in suite compositions. There are conflicting opinionsregarding its origins, but it is generally agreed that by the 18th century the loure was a slow, soloistic danceof noble character with difficult, even virtuosic steps. Due to its 3/4 or 6/4 metre and rhythmic character itbears similarities with the slow gigue, or “Spanish gigue”. The hopping character of the dance calls fordefined articulation and strong pulse. The ornaments added in this performance emphasise the galant andsophisticated qualities of the loure.

The Gavotte en Rondeau is another example of the then modern French style. Its theme, which has alwaysbeen a favourite of violinists, recurs four times after its repeated initial statement. The first episode is in therelative minor key; the second has an element of counterpoint; the third moves to the subdominant A majorin a series of arpeggiated passages similar to the C-sharp minor episode; the last is based around doublestops and flirts with minor modes yet again before the triumphant final statement of the rondeau themeconcludes the movement. Next Bach juxtaposes two minuets. Menuet I has a courtly, balanced elegance.The held notes in the top voice of Menuet II evoke the sound of the bagpipe, bringing in a rustic element. Inmodern performance the first minuet is usually recapitulated after the second, as became customary in laterminuet-trio structures. The Bourée sounds unusual because of its unpredictable accents and rhythmicgroupings that are particularly audible when the violinist follows Bach’s own bowing markings. True to itsgalant and joyous character, the partita ends with a graceful, leisurely Gigue in 6/8.

Dorottya Fabian

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Richard Tognetti

Australian violinist Richard Tognetti has established an international reputation for his compellingperformances and artistic individualism. He studied with Alice Waten at the Sydney Conservatorium and withIgor Ozim at the Berne Conservatory (Switzerland), where he was awarded the Tschumi Prize as the topgraduate soloist in 1989. In the following year he was appointed Artistic Director and Leader of the AustralianChamber Orchestra.

One of Australia’s most eminent musicians, he performs on period, modern and electric instruments. Hisnumerous arrangements, compositions and transcriptions have expanded the chamber orchestra repertoireand have been performed throughout the world.

Richard Tognetti is also the Artistic Director of the Huntington Festival, held annually in Mudgee, NSW. Thereputation of this Festival for artistic quality, fine food and wine has grown to the point where tickets sell outwithin hours of going on sale, and with no programming announced.

Highlights of his career as director, soloist or chamber music partner include the Salzburg Festival; theSydney Festival (as conductor of Mozart’s opera Mitridate); and forthcoming appearances in 2006 with theHandel & Haydn Society (Boston) and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. His address to the Sydney Institutethink-tank in early 2005 received nationwide media attention.

As a soloist Richard Tognetti has appeared on many occasions with the ACO and with the major Australiansymphony orchestras, including the Australian premiere of Ligeti’s Violin Concerto with the SydneySymphony in 1998. He has collaborated with colleagues from across various art forms and artistic styles,including Steven Isserlis, Pieter Wispelwey, Jack Thompson, Peter Garrett, Neil Finn, Tim Freedman, JamesCrabb and Paul Capsis, as well as photographer Bill Henson and poet/cartoonist Michael Leunig. In 2003,Richard Tognetti was co-composer with Iva Davies and Christopher Gordon of the score for the Peter Weirfilm Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and violin tutor for its star, Russell Crowe; he canalso be heard performing on the award-winning soundtrack.

Richard Tognetti holds honorary doctorates from three Australian universities and was made a National LivingTreasure in 1999. He performs on a 1759 J.B. Guadagnini violin, lent to him on a semi-permanent basis bythe Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

The ACO would like to thank all of its generous

Patrons for their support of the Bach

Recordings project.

Vicki & Geoff AinsworthMr Michael Ball AM and Mrs Daria BallAnn & Bruce CorlettMr Robin CrawfordRowena Danziger & Ken ColesHon. Mrs John Dawson-DamerPeter & Mandy GrayLeslie & Ginny GreenChristine and Michael HarrisCraig & Connie KimberleyIan and Nina LansdownAnthony and Sharon LeeBarbara & Bernard LeserDeidre McCannNaomi MilgromJan MinchinMs G.L. PackerRena Shein and David HendlerJohn Taberner and Grant LangMichael and Eleonora TriguboffPeter WeirMr Peter Weiss AMRobyn & Ross Wilson

Executive Producers Robert Patterson, Lyle ChanRecording Producers Richard Tognetti, Daniel DenholmRecording Engineer and Editor Daniel DenholmMastering Engineer Oscar Gaona/Studios 301Editorial and Production Manager Natalie SheaCover and Booklet Design Imagecorp Pty LtdCover Photograph © APL/LaCoppola & Meier and Paul Henderson-KellyRichard Tognetti Photographs Paul Henderson-Kelly

Bow supplied courtesy of Helena Rathbone.

Recorded July and December 2004 at the EugeneGoossens Hall of the Australian BroadcastingCorporation’s Ultimo Centre.

ABC Classics thanks the Symphony Australia NationalMusic Library.

P 2005 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. © 2005 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Distributed in Australia by Universal Music Group, underexclusive licence. Made in Australia. All rights of the owner ofcopyright reserved. Any copying, renting, lending, diffusion,public performance or broadcast of this record without theauthority of the copyright owner is prohibited.