“I’ll play the Chaconne, then talk about the historical background of the piece, the way the piece is constructed, and some of the performance decisions that I’ve made,” Moyer said, “and then I’ll play it again.”
“The goal is to have the audience understand the piece better and thus to have them listen differently the second time. In addition, the piece is complex enough that a second time helps the listener grasp more of what is going on.”
The Chaconne is the final movement of the Partita in D minor for solo violin by J.S. Bach. “It is recognized as one of the monumental masterpieces of the violin repertoire,” Moyer said. “It’s profound, interesting in its construction, and very difficult to play.”
“The setting for this concert will be unusually intimate,” Moyer notes. The audience will sit on the Fulkerson stage along with the performer.
Violinist Joshua Bell called the Chaconne “not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history. It’s a spiritually powerful piece, emotionally powerful, structurally perfect.” Violinist Yehudi Menuhin said that it has “the greatest structure for solo violin that exists.” In a letter to Clara Schumann, composer Johannes Brahms declared, “If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattered experience would have driven me out of my mind.”
Cindy Moyer performs this lecture-recital on Sunday November 9 at 8 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall. Tickets are $10/$5 students and seniors, from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. For more information visit HSUMusic.blogspot.com. This Faculty Artist Series concert is produced by HSU Music Department.