Bach / Beethoven: Fugue Australian Chamber Orchestra & Richard Tognetti

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Contrapunctus 1 - 4 (Live):
• 1 Contrapunctus 1 (Live In Sydney / 2016) 02:33
• 2 Contrapunctus 2 (Live In Sydney / 2016) 02:38
• 3 Contrapunctus 3 (Live In Sydney / 2016) 02:24
• 4 Contrapunctus 4 (Live In Sydney / 2016) 03:59
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): String Quartet In B Flat, Op.130 (Live):
• 5 1. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro (Live In Sydney / 2016) 13:32
• 6 2. Presto (Live In Sydney / 2016) 01:59
• 7 3. Andante con moto ma non troppo. Poco scherzando (Live In Sydney / 2016) 06:53
• 8 4. Alla danza tedesca (Allegro assai) (Live In Sydney / 2016) 02:55
• 9 5. Cavatina (Adagio molto espressivo) (Live In Sydney / 2016) 07:53
• 10 6. Grosse Fuge In B-flat Major, Op. 133 (Live In Sydney / 2016) 16:23
• Total Runtime 01:01:09

Info for Bach / Beethoven: Fugue

Following the recent Mozart’s Last Symphonies recording, Richard Tognetti an the ACO are releasing a new album showcasing two works of genius by two of the greatest composers of all time exploring fugues as musical artifice.

The fugue is a form in which a single musical theme repeats and weaves around itself.

Tognetti describes Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge as a “hyper-controlled cacophony, rousing responses ranging from rapture to despair”, a genre moving away from salon music, and originally conceived as the final movement to his last string quartet. The piece is presented in an arrangement for string orchestra by Tognetti which, in his words, is “careful not to exploit the greater dynamic capabilities at the expense of the innerlich heart of Beethoven’s uniquely powerful music”.

The Art of Fugue is a mysterious unfinished fugue written by Bach at the end of his life. It is unclear for which instrument it was originally written.

Hot on the heels of their ARIA-nominated recording of Mozart’s Last Symphonies, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Richard Tognetti showcase two works of genius by Beethoven and Bach. Recorded live in concert, these seminal works are given a new lease of life, opening up new soundworlds through the vitality and virtuosity for which the ACO has become globally renowned.

Both Bach and Beethoven wrote these pieces towards the end of their lives. Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge was originally conceived as the final movement to his last string quartet; in it, the genre moves away from salon music into what Tognetti describes as “hyper-controlled cacophony, rousing responses ranging from rapture to despair”. This was too much for Beethoven’s contemporaries, and the quartet was soon given a more orthodox ending. In this album the Grosse Fuge is returned to its original place, and is presented in an arrangement for string orchestra by Tognetti which, in his words, is “careful not to exploit the greater dynamic capabilities at the expense of the innerlich heart of Beethoven’s uniquely powerful music”.

Bach’s The Art of Fugue was left unfinished at his death, and is a work shrouded in mystery: it is unclear for what instrument it was originally written. A masterclass in the fugue – a form in which a single musical theme repeats and weaves around itself – the first four movements are presented here using strings, winds and even the voices of the orchestra to bring out the polyphonal parts which, in Bach’s hands, speak as one.

Critical acclaim for the concerts at which this album was recorded include praise for the ACO’s “uncanny blend of muscularity and airiness” (The Daily Telegraph) and “restless dynamism” (Sydney Morning Herald).

Australian Chamber Orchestra
Richard Tognetti, conductor

Australian Chamber Orchestra
Founded by cellist John Painter in 1975, the 17-piece string orchestra lives and breathes music, making waves around the world for explosive performances and brave interpretations. Led by Artistic Director Richard Tognetti since 1990, the ACO embrace celebrated classics alongside new commissions, and adventurous cross-artform collaborations. They perform more than 100 concerts across Australia each year, all while maintaining an international touring schedule that finds them in many of the world’s greatest concert halls including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Barbican Centre and Royal Festival Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Frankfurt’s Alte Oper.

The Orchestra regularly collaborates on projects with musicians and other artists who share their ideology, and co-create unique, hybrid productions that have toured around the world. The Orchestra also has an active recording program across CD, vinyl and digital formats, and film or stream many concerts live for audiences around the world to enjoy.

The ACO also support the development of young talent around Australian through a series of educations programs designed to inspire and enable the next generation of musicians and music lovers.

This album contains no booklet.