Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Anthony Romaniuk and Laurence Dreyfus

 

Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Violin

Anthony Romaniuk, Harpsichord

Laurence Dreyfus, Viola da Gamba

 

Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300-1377)
Ballad No. 1, No. 4, No. 9

Alleluia (Winchester Tropar, 11th century)

György Ligeti (1923-2006)
Hungarian Rock for solo harpsichord

John Cage (1912-1992)
Melody Nr. 4

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Presto in C Minor Wq 114

Performed on August 18, 2016 in the Lauenen Church

In late 2015, Patricia Kopatchinskaja gathered duets from 1000 years of music history on her album «Take Two». The pieces of music on this album – including the majority of compositions for this live concert – range from the oldest chants in two voices from the Winchester Tropar by Guillaume de Machaut to the virtuoso piece Das kleine Irgendwas (The Little Something) by Heinz Holliger. By running through the centuries to such a tremendous extent, Patricia Kopatchinskaja expands our horizons for a greater understanding of classical music and breaks with our expectations of the technical possibilities of the violin.

Music partners Dreyfus & Romaniuk come into play

As one of the icons of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Patricia Kopatchinskaja has impressively demonstrated in her numerous performances in recent years that she succeeds in every piece of the programme, no matter how impossible it may seem – and even more important: The offspring of a Moldavian family of musicians chooses older as well as new and extremely innovative pieces that become a real listening experience in their coexistence. Patricia Kopatchinskaja proves her versatility again and again with various music partners, in this live performance with the British viol player Laurence Dreyfus as well as the Australian harpsichord player Anthony Romaniuk – they mostly appear as a duo, but there are a few surprises with pieces for the three of them…

Heartening pictures set to music

The extreme span of musical cornerstones begins with one of the Rhythmic Etudes by Bohuslav Martinů, which is supposed to be played jazzy; with its folkloristic gesture, the etude creates a most expressive, energetic opening –  even more exciting: Anthony Romaniuk takes over the actual piano part on the harpsichord. The small characteristic piece Das kleine Irgendwas by Heinz Holliger (which premiered in 2014) also occupies a unique position within the programme. Written for soprano and violin (or rather, for singing and reciting violin), the piece is based on a humorous-surrealistic story by the daughter of Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Heinz Holliger has masterly set the story to music – to a piece, that is highly complex: The simultaneous handling of playing, singing and reciting, coupled with «new» violin techniques, certainly is not easy.

With unbelievable precision and great enthusiasm, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Anthony Romaniuk and Laurence Dreyfus constantly forge a bridge from Medieval music to contemporary pieces – they very clearly prove that cleverly juxtaposed duets and trios suddenly turn 1000 years of music history into a real experience.

Patricia Kopatchinskaja

Artist Description

Who ever doubted that musical interpretations could be spontaneous and unexpected, should come and enjoy a concert of Patricia Kopatchinskaja. The Moldavian violinist is full of vitality - every part of her body from her fingers to her feet (she often performs barefoot!) sparks with energy. Hence, it should not come as a surprise that she entertains a vivid dialogue between the music of the past and the present: She's a favourite of contemporary composers - they couldn't have found a better ambassador for their cause. In the past, we at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival have often been a witness of her new musical adventures: She introduced us (together with her friend and musical ally Sol Gabetta) to new masterpieces by acclaimed contemporary composers such as Jorge Sánchez Chiong, Mark Anthony Turnage, Pēteris Vasks und Francisco Coll.

Corelli in Moldavia

These days virtually every artist has a personal website. Most often however they're full of bland marketing. Patricia Kopatchinskaja's webpage is wonderfully different. Here you can find texts written by the artist herself sharing her thoughts on her work as well as personal ideas on diverse subjects («Why is one a musician?» or «With Terre des Hommes in Moldavia»)   Patricia Kopatchinskaja comes from Moldavia and maintains a strong connection to her homeland. She shows a particular interest in intercultural exchange: «Ever since the Roman Empire Moldavia with its Black Sea coast has had a close relationship to the Mediterranean and its people. You can picture the great Italian Baroque violinists (Corelli, Tartini) having played like the violinists in the Moldavian countryside nowadays: With an exceptional sense for rhythm and harmony. They're very open to new influences, especially from Arabia. » Patricia Kopatchinskaja embodies just that: The entire world in one single violin.
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