Boulder Bach Festival Zachary Carrettín, Mina Gajlc & Bach Festival

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Concerto in D Minor for two violins, strings, and basso continuo, BWV 1043:
• 1 J.S. Bach: Concerto in D Minor for two violins, strings, and basso continuo, BWV 1043: I. Vivace 03:22
• 2 J.S. Bach: Concerto in D Minor for two violins, strings, and basso continuo, BWV 1043: II. Largo ma non tanto 06:13
• 3 J.S. Bach: Concerto in D Minor for two violins, strings, and basso continuo, BWV 1043: III. Allegro 04:29
• Johann Christoph Bach (1642 - 1703): Lamento: Ach, dass ich Wassers gnug hätte:
• 4 J.C. Bach: Lamento: Ach, dass ich Wassers gnug hätte 07:38
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto in D Minor for harpsichord and strings, BWV 1052:
• 5 J.S. Bach: Concerto in D Minor for harpsichord and strings, BWV 1052: I. Allegro 08:01
• 6 J.S. Bach: Concerto in D Minor for harpsichord and strings, BWV 1052: II. Adagio 06:30
• 7 J.S. Bach: Concerto in D Minor for harpsichord and strings, BWV 1052: III. Allegro 07:53
• Johann Christoph Bach: Motet:
• 8 J.C. Bach: Motet: Es ist nun aus mit meinem Leben 10:28
• Total Runtime 54:34

Info for Boulder Bach Festival

This album is the culmination of an extraordinarily fruitful artistic collaboration that took place at the 2022 Boulder Bach Festival in Boulder, Colorado. The recordings were made immediately after the conclusion of the public concerts. They document four of the festival’s many memorable musical interpretations, thanks not only to the many talented artists, but also to the kindness and generosity of countless members of the community and region. Although many musicians from around the world came to Boulder, the festival also featured some notable local artists. The entire project took place against the backdrop of one of the most majestic natural landscapes in the world.

Under the direction of directors Zachary Carrettin and Mina Gajić, the artists – all of whom had extensive experience with period instruments or singing in period ensembles – experimented with a novel interpretive approach: they transposed historical idioms into modern instrumentation. Nevertheless, some historical nuances were added, such as a baroque bow for the double bass and a classical viola bow. These musical choices were made by ear, with the vast professional experience of each player factoring into each choice. Rather than calibrating the musical interpretation to a specific historical setup, the musicians took the opposite approach, matching their setup to the overarching interpretation. This strategy revived the radically authentic spirit of discovery, experimentation, and risk-taking that was the hallmark of the historical interpretation movement, now in its seventh decade.

“Violinists Zachary Carrettin and Yueun Kim deliver outstanding playing in Bach’s Double Concerto in D minor. Festival Artistic Director Mina Gajić – whose work as a superbly accomplished pianist I have long admired and reviewed – makes the D minor keyboard concerto sound as if it had been written for her. Both the gifted vocal soloists – soprano Josefien Stoppelenburg and mezzo-soprano Claire McCahan – sing with impeccable command of the JC Bach sacred Baroque style. Cellist Coleman Itzkoff provides a rock-solid foundation throughout the concert. All six artists shine in the closing concert of the indispensable Boulder Bach Festival.” (Rafael DeAcha, All About The Arts)

Claire McCahan, mezzo-soprano
Josefien Stoppelenburg, soprano
Claire McCahan, mezzo-soprano
Daniel Hutchings, tenor
Adam Ewing, baritone
Yu-Eun Kim, violin
Christopher Holman, harpsichord, chamber organ
Boulder Bach Festival
Zachary Carrettín, musical director, violin
Mina Gajlc, artistic director, harpsichord

Zachary Carrettín
has performed as orchestral and choral conductor, violinist, violist, and cellist da spalla in more than twenty-five countries on four continents, and has established a reputation for presenting thoughtful, dynamic and diverse programs which feature repertory from the sixteenth to the twenty-first centuries. He performed as soloist at the opening ceremonies of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, the Dayton Center for the Performing Arts, the Museo del’ Arte Rovereto-Trentino (Italy), and was featured at the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts Face of America Series, the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, at the Stavanger Festival (Norway), and in a private concert for the Sultan and Royal Family of Oman, in Muscat, in the capacity of Music Director of Project Bandaloop, (1999-2004). He has since conducted orchestras across the United States, Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, and the National Symphony Orchestras of Moldova and Bolivia. He conducted the first recording of Bolivian composer Gustavo Navarre’s Sinfonía, and conducted the first known performance of Capuzzi’s ballet music, L’Impostore punito. Carrettin has performed and recorded numerous works in manuscript following several research trips to archives in Bergamo, Milan and Venice.

In the field of historically inspired period instrument performance, Carrettin appeared several times as concerto soloist with the American Bach Soloists, and as guest concertmaster and soloist with numerous baroque period instrument ensembles including the GRAMMY-nominated recording of Hasse’s Marc’ Antonio e Cleopatra with Ars Lyrica Houston, the U.S. premiere of Vivaldi’s rediscovered opera Montezuma with Musica Angelica and Long Beach Opera, critically-acclaimed recording of baroque chamber music from the New World Villancicos y Cantidas with El Mundo, and several productions of opera, oratorio, and instrumental music with American Bach Soloists. He toured internationally performing Mexican baroque instrumental and vocal chamber music with the ensemble El Mundo, and toured the California mission churches performing baroque music of the New World with renowned choir, Chanticleer. Carrettin’s recording of Schubert sonatas on original instruments with pianist Mina Gajić was released in March, 2020 on the Sono Luminus label, and the following month hit No. 9 on Billboard Charts "Traditional Classical." He recently recorded Bach Cello Suites #'s 1, 2, and 3 (on baroque viola) during Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. That recording, titled "Metamorphosis," is now available on all platforms. ...

Mina Gajlc
has garnered an international reputation for insightful and dynamic performances of a vast and ever-evolving repertoire including many new works by living composers, concertos and recitals performed on historic Romantic Era pianos, and collaborations on harpsichord and fortepiano. She started her education and music career in Yugoslavia and subsequently performed as concerto soloist and recitalist in Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Montenegro, China, Bolivia, and across the United States. As duo partner with violinist Zachary Carrettin, she has appeared on four continents, focusing on a diverse repertoire spanning the centuries and various styles—on historic period pianos in addition to modern concert instruments, and including new works composed for the duo.

Notable performances have included critically-acclaimed period instrument renditions of works by Chopin, Brahms, Britten, Ives, Berg, Antheil, and Bartók. Her doctoral dissertation and subsequent research on the work of Yugoslav composer Josip Slavenski connect Balkan folkloric traditions and approaches to twentieth century music between the two World Wars.

Her performances of Brahms and Schumann (Érard piano, 1895) can be heard on the audio book Escapement, by award-winning author Kristen Wolf. Additionally, Gajic and Carrettin's recording of Schubert sonatas on historical instruments (Érard piano, 1835), Boundless, was released in 2020 and became a Top 10 on Billboard Charts "Traditional Classical" the following month. Her recording of Balkan Dances & Tango Nuevo, Confluence was released in 2022 on the Sono Luminus label. She performs as harpsichord concerto soloist on the 2023 Boulder Bach Festival album, also on Sono Luminus, and her album titled Sonic Alchemy is released in October, 2023.

Gajic holds degrees from the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Gajic is the founder and Artistic Director of Boulder International Chamber Music Competition—Art of Duo. Former faculty at Sam Houston State University, in 2019 she became Artistic and Executive Director of Boulder Bach Festival.

Boulder Bach Festival
is an annually occurring concert series that focuses on 500 years of music composition, "navigating the waters of music history with J.S. Bach as a compass."

The mission of the Boulder Bach Festival is to celebrate the music of Johann Sebastian Bach by providing high quality performances and educational opportunities that will not only satisfy those who already love Bach’s music, but will also introduce Bach’s music to others. It is the vision of the Boulder Bach Festival board of directors that the BBF be the premier festival in the Rocky Mountain Region dedicated to the propagation of the legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach. The Boulder Bach Festival offers a concentrated series of concerts, symposia, and educational events each spring, focused on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, arguably the greatest composer of Western music, augmented by a number of outreach concerts and other events for youth, seniors and various community groups throughout the year. The Festival features prominent artists from the region as well as nationally recognized Bach virtuosos. The high quality of the performances has built the outstanding reputation of the Festival and placed it among the top festivals of its kind in the state and nation.

Booklet for Boulder Bach Festival