The Art of Bach

In Bach’s last years, his attention turned to the art of counterpoint, raising his mastery to new and higher pinnacles of achievement. His vision was deteriorating and his handwriting worsened, until the final stroke that brought his life to a sudden end in the midst of composing the Art of Fugue. ARTEK pays homage to Bach’s art by performing his instrumental chamber music in the form of instrumental sonatas for violin, viola da gamba, obbligato harpsichord, and obbligato lute interspersed with Bach’s profound counterpoint in canons and fugues. We know that Bach arranged and re-arranged much of his instrumental music, and in that spirit, we present sonatas in both original form and arranged for alternate instrumentation. Contrapuntal masterpieces include selections from The Art of Fugue, the Musical Offering, and the Goldberg canons. With Cynthia Freivogel, violin; Arnie Tanimoto, viola da gamba; Daniel Swenberg, baroque lute; Gwendolyn Toth, harpsichord.