Die Kunst der Fuge
Bach’s masterpiece with two harpsichords
J. S. Bach
Marianna Henriksson and Petteri Pitko, harpsichord
Die Kunst der Fuge or “The Art of Fugue” is the mysterious testament of J. S. Bach, a masterpiece which was left unfinished, in which the compositional explorations of a stubborn genius reach their culmination. The fugue, the triumph of polyphonic music, is Bach’s most characteristic composition form, a challenge, in which the intellectual, esthetic and spiritual intertwine.
Now is a rare opportunity to delve into this monument of meditative polyphony, when harpsichord artists Petteri Pitko and Marianna Henriksson perform it together, in their own arrangements for two harpsichords.
Die Kunst der Fuge is surrounded by mysteries and myths. What would Bach have made of the piece, if he had lived to complete it? Or did he leave it unfinished on purpose? For which instrument or ensemble are the fugues intended? And are they intended to be played at all, or are they simply musical studies for the mind? There is no sure answer, and musicians still keep on making new interpretations.
The skill or art of the fugue, Kunst, was for Bach also the science of the fugue. All fugues are based on the same theme, which is twisted, stretched and squeezed, studied in different lighting and with different counterpoint means. The result is a process of simplification, a journey towards clarification.
Duration: 1 h 15 min (no intermission)
Petteri Pitko introduces the concert at the House of Nobility on 20.12. from 18–18.30.