Abbey Bach Festival
Escape to music, fantasy and surprises!
July 27, 28, & 29, 2022
Thank you for a wonderful 51st Abbey Bach Festival!
Many thanks to all the musicians and guests who braved the heat of the summer to celebrate with us the 51st Bach Festival at Mount Angel Abbey.
Mark your calendars for July 26, 27, and 28, of 2023, for the next great festival of Bach on the Hilltop!
Picnic Buffet at the Festival
The natural beauty of our Hilltop lawn serves as the perfect backdrop to enjoy a relaxing summer picnic supper. Under the shade of Mount Angel’s oak and pine trees, savor local food and engaging conversation with your monastic hosts each evening. While you dine, soak in gorgeous views of the agrarian Willamette Valley and the majesty of the surrounding Cascade mountains.
A note from Artistic Director Alon Goldstein
How I have missed being with you! I sincerely hope you have listened to the virtual festivals each summer. It was great fun to plan and present music to an international audience.
It is our great pleasure to plan this summer’s live series, full of music to touch your heart and expand your experiences and a few surprises!
Artistic Director Alon Goldstein is one of the most original and sensitive pianists of his generation, admired for his musical intelligence, dynamic personality, artistic vision and innovative programming. A student of Leon Fleisher, he brings his superb piano skills and artistic vision to the Abbey Bach Festival. Learn more about Mr. Goldstein.
Daily Festival Schedule
5:20 pm Vespers
6 pm Church performance
6:30 pm Picnic buffet supper
8 pm Feature performance
Church & Feature Performance Schedule
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Wednesday | July 27 | 6 pm – Trombone quartet (church concert)
Johannes Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Contrapunctus I
Arr: Ralph Sauer (b.1944)J.S. Bach
Von Gott will ich nicht lassen, (I will not abandon God), BWV 658
Arr: Maxwell Mabry/Michael Buckman *première*Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Adagio from Symphony No. 7
Arr: Jay Friedman (b.1939)J.S. Bach
Chaconne in D minor, BWV 1004
Arr: Philip BrinkGeorge Gershwin (1898-1937)
Summertime
Arr: Ivaylo HristovAlan Morell, trombone
Zachary Glaser, trombone
Gerrod Peck, trombone
Joselyn Edgar, trombone-
Wednesday | July 27 | 8 pm – From Vienna with Love
Recreating the romantic era in Vienna: featuring waltzes, polkas and fantasies. Beethoven’s Spring Sonata and Kreisler’s challenging Old Viennese Melodies: Liebesfreud (Love’s Joy), Liebesleid (Love’s Sorrow) and Schön Rosmarin (Lovely Rosemary).
Ilya Kaler is considered to be one of the most outstanding personalities of the violin world today. He is the only violinist to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, the Sibelius Competition, and the Paganini Competition. He has been described as a “magician, bewitching our ears” by Gramophone for his hauntingly beautiful sound, flawless command of the instrument and mesmerizing phrasing. Not only does his career range from that of a soloist, a recording artist to chamber musician, he is one of the most sought-after teachers in the world.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sonata No. 1 in G minor for violin solo, BWV 1001- Adagio
- Fuga. Allegro
- Siciliana
- Presto
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonata No. 5 in F Major for piano and violin (III) op. 24- Allegro
- Adagio molto espressivo
- Scherzo: Allegro molto
- Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo
Intermission
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962)
Recitativo and Scherzo for violin solo op.6F. Kreisler
Berceuse Romantique, Opus 9F. Kreisler
Polichinelle (1917)F. Kreisler
Caprice Viennois, Opus 2F. Kreisler
Tambourin Chinois, Opus 3F. Kreisler
Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta (1946)Ilya Kaler, violin
Patti Wolf, piano
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Thursday | July 28 | 6 pm – Bach Cello Suite (church concert)
Johannes Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Cello suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012
1. Prelude
2. Allemand
3. Courante
4. Sarabande 5. Gavotte I / II 6. GigueAmit Peled, cello
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Thursday | July 28 | 8 pm – The Love Triangle: Music and Letters by the Schumanns and Brahms
The Love Triangle: Music and Letters by the Schumanns and Brahms.
Don’t miss this performance of pianist Alon Goldstein, violinist Ilya Kaler, and cellist Amit Peled. The three musicians and friends have joined forces to form one of the most exciting trios on the international music scene. Each virtuoso member of the ensemble has a successful solo career and together they bring vitality to the concert stage with their dynamic musical interplay and collaborative spirit. The Tempest Trio has been recently compared by critics to the legendary “Million Dollar Trio,” of Arthur Rubinstein, Gregor Piatigorsky, and Jascha Heifetz.
At the age of 20 Robert Schumann was studying piano with Frederich Wieck,
a renowned piano teacher. It was in Wieck’s home that he met and fell in love with the young Clara Wieck, an extraordinarily gifted pianist he would marry in 1840. The couple met the young and gifted pianist Johannes Brahms in 1853 and immediately became enchanted with his playing and his compositions. The three remained close friends throughout their lives.Reading
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Piano Trio No 1 in D minor, Opus 63
l. Mit Energie und LeidenschaftReading
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Scherzo in C minor for violin and piano (from the F-A-E Sonata)Reading
R. Schumann
Piano Trio No 1 in D minor, Opus 63
l. Lebhaft, doch nicht zu rasch
ll. Langsam, mit inniger Empfindung
lll. Mit FeuerIntermission
Reading
J. Brahms
Trio No. 2 in C major, Opus 87
l. Allegro moderatoReading
J. Brahms
Trio No. 2 in C major, Opus 87
l. Andante con moto
ll. Scherzo
lll. Allegro giocoso-
Friday | July 29 | 6 pm – Bruce Neswick plays Bach (church concert)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
The Easter section of the Orgelbüchlein, BWV 625-630
Christ lag in Todesbanden (“Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands”) Jesus Christus, unser Heiland (“Jesus Christ our great Redeemer”) Christ ist erstanden (“Christ the Lord is risen again!”) (in three verses) Erstanden ist der heilge Christ (“The blessed Christ is risen today”) Erscheinen ist der herrliche Tag (“The day hath dawned, the day of days”) Heut triumphiret Gottes Sohn (“Today God’s only-gotten Son”)J.S. Bach
Nun danket Alle Gott (“Now thank we all our God”), BWV 657J.S. Bach
An Wasserflüssen Babylon (“By the waters of Babylon”), BWV 653bJ.S. Bach
Toccata in E, BWV 566Bruce Neswick, organ
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Friday | July 29 | 8 pm – Sweet! Chocolate and Bach's French Connection
When cacao arrived via Spain into France, chocolate became the fashion of the day at the royal court of Versailles and throughout Europe. Not adverse to the exotic flavor, J.S. Bach’s music was performed in the Coffeehouse Zimmerman and the French Riquet family’s store in Leipzig, offering sweets like chocolate and pralines. It goes without saying that Bach savored both the chocolate as well as French music. After all, French baroque music is to the ear what chocolate is to our taste buds: a symphony of ecstatic sensations. Anticipate chocolate treats!
Under the artistic direction of Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivière, Ensemble Caprice is renowned for its innovative interpretations of baroque music. For 20 years Ensemble has received national and international acclaim for their performances of early music.
The Ensemble gives concerts in Europe and is regularly invited to participate in such early music festivals as those in Bruges in Belgium, Utrecht in the Netherlands, and in Germany at the Regensburg Early Music Festival, the Händel Festival in Halle and the Recorder Festival in Stockstadt. On this continent, Ensemble Caprice has given concerts in New York City at the Frick Collection and the Miller Theatre, and also at the Boston Early Music Festival and in Washington at the Library of Congress. They have also toured in Israel and Taiwan.
Ensemble Caprice:
Matthias Maute, baroque flute, recorder, composer, conductor;
Sophie Larivière, recorder and baroque flute;
David Jacques, guitar;
Susie Napper, baroque cello;
Ziya Tabassian, percussion