Artist: Aya Hamada
Title: Bach: Clavier-Übung II, Chaconne
Year Of Release: 2021
Label: Evidence
Genre: Classical
Quality: 24bit-96kHz FLAC (tracks + booklet)
Total Time: 65:55
Total Size: 1.33 GB

Tracklist:

1. Toccata in D Major, BWV 912, BC L143 (11:33)
2. Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971, BC L7, Op. 2: I. [Allegro] (4:08)
3. Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971, BC L7, Op. 2: II. Andante (4:51)
4. Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971, BC L7, Op. 2: III. Presto (4:00)
5. Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831, Op. 2: I. Ouverture (8:03)
6. Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831, Op. 2: II. Courante (2:23)
7. Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831, Op. 2: III. Gavottes I/II (2:57)
8. Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831, Op. 2: IV. Passepieds I/II (2:42)
9. Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831, Op. 2: V. Sarabande (4:02)
10. Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831, Op. 2: VI. Bourrées I/II (2:41)
11. Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831, Op. 2: VII. Gigue (2:49)
12. Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831, Op. 2: VIII. Écho (3:24)
13. Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: V. Ciaccona (Arr. for harpsichord by Skip Sempé and Aya Hamada) (12:27)

Transcriptions were an important part of Johann Sebastian Bach’s oeuvre. For a composer who never took formal composition lessons, they were pathways to knowledge that allowed him to assimilate different styles and expand his musical horizons. In this recording the Japanese-American harpsichordist Aya Hamada explores the role of the transcription in Bach’s work, bringing together the Italian Concerto BWV 971 and the Overture in the French style BWV 831. Although they were composed for a keyboard instrument, these pieces are characteristic of the “imaginary orchestral transcriptions” that were prevalent in Bach’s output. They are paired here with the Toccata BWV 912 which highlights the crucial dimension of improvisation in Bach’s music. Finally, Aya Hamada offers a synthesis of these two approaches through Skip Sempé’s keyboard transcription of the Chaconne from the Partita BWV 1004. The Neuchâtel Museum’s Ruckers harpsichord is the perfect vehicle for this grand exploration of Bach’s keyboard artistry.