2020–2021
MUSIC AT EMORY
This livestream concert is presented by the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts schwartz.emory.edu/virtual-stage Box Office/Audience Information 404.727.5050 • boxoffice@emory.edu Photographs and Recordings Digital capture or recording of this concert is not permitted. Event and Program Information Available online at schwartz.emory.edu Cover Photo By Mark Teague Acknowledgment Eternal thanks to Donna and Marvin Schwartz for their many contributions.
2020–2021
MUSIC AT EMORY
Johann Sebastian Bach Birthday Recital Timothy Albrecht, piano, harpsichord, and organ Sunday, March 21, 2021, 4:00 p.m.
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Virtual Stage
Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, Part 2 BWV 858–869 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Prelude and Fugue in F-sharp Major Prelude and Fugue in F-sharp Minor Performed on the Graves Memorial Portative Organ Prelude and Fugue in G Major Prelude and Fugue in G Minor Performed on the Steinway Piano Prelude and Fugue in A-flat Major Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp Minor Performed on the Kingston Harpsichord Prelude and Fugue in A Major Prelude and Fugue in A Minor Performed on the Steinway Piano Prelude and Fugue in B-flat Major Performed on the Kingston Harpsichord Prelude and Fugue in B-flat Minor Performed on the Steinway Piano Prelude and Fugue in B Major Performed on the Graves Memorial Portative Organ Prelude and Fugue in B Minor Performed on the Werner Wortsman Memorial Organ
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Program Notes Welcome to today’s recital, featuring part two of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (1722). This program completes a performance of the entire 24 preludes and fugues of the WellTempered Clavier that I began on Emory’s Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Virtual Stage last fall. As at that time, I again invite you to imagine all the little Bach “children” backstage (but now a halfyear older). They look forward to meeting each of you and together celebrating “Dad’s” birthday, as Johann Sebastian Bach was born on this 21st day of March back in 1685. Today’s recital again uses a variety of keyboards as detailed in this program. Each Well-Tempered Clavier prelude or fugue portrays a human emotion. Last fall I suggested an unorthodox way of listening, which is shared again today: We know that Bach fathered 20 children and we might imagine each entry as one of Bach’s young offspring bounding onstage to introduce herself/himself to you. One is outgoing, one a good dancer, one jumps right on your lap, while another is so sensitive you might think therapy is in order. You met some of the “kids” last fall and will meet all the rest today. The whole gaggle of Bach “children” has been waiting patiently backstage, so excited to meet you. In fact, here comes our first little “daughter” now, with a big smile on her face and wearing a pretty dress for Papa’s birthday party. —Notes by Timothy Albrecht, Emory University Organist
“The Well-Tempered Clavier is the highest and best school; no one will ever create a more ideal one.”
– Frédéric Chopin
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About the Instruments Emerson Concert Hall is home to three performance Steinways, including a New York Steinway Model D Concert Grand acquired in 2019 and made possible through a generous donation from Donna and Marvin Schwartz. The Graves Memorial Portative Organ was made possible through the generosity of Edith Graves and other family and friends in memory of Sarah Graves 09C and Allen Graves and in honor of Don Saliers. We gratefully acknowledge this generous contribution. The Kingston Harpsichord belongs to Don E. Saliers, theologian in residence and retired William R. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Theology and Worship. For many years he directed the Master of Sacred Music program at Emory, and was an organist and choirmaster at Cannon Chapel for 35 years. The harpischord has been on loan for the past decade. Emerson Concert Hall houses the 14-ton Werner Wortsman Memorial Organ built by top North American builder Daniel Jaeckel and installed in 2005. The organ is named in honor of Werner Wortsman 47C. Wortsman was raised in Germany with a love for classical music and opera, and at age thirteen came to the United States to escape Nazi rule. He served in United States Army intelligence in World War II before majoring in journalism at Emory. Living most of his adult life near campus, Wortsman (1925–2009) owned a radio station, wrote two books, and participated in Emory alumni events. The value he placed on education, music, and the arts inspired his bequest to the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts at Emory. The organ, which serves as the visual focal point in the Schwartz Center’s Emerson Concert Hall, was named for him in 2011, in recognition of his generous gift to the Arts at Emory.
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Timothy Albrecht The American Organist hails Timothy Albrecht, Atlanta’s Emory University organist, for his “creative, fertile imagination . . . electric performances . . . Lisztian virtuosity.” His recitals span Alaska to the Andes, and Texas to Taiwan. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung cites his “ever-present artistry and virtuosity.” “Unforgettable, because inimitable,” writes the Darmstädter Beiträge zur neuen Musik. Nobel Peace Prize–winner Desmond Tutu once wrote him about an upcoming performance, “I am so looking forward to that . . . knowing you will play as if your life depended on it!” He has performed organ music of Olivier Messiaen before the Dalai Lama. Ambidextrous and possessing perfect pitch, Albrecht first studied piano with Eastern European musician Eugenia Prekosh. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa while at Oberlin College, he earned a doctorate at the Eastman School of Music, representing the United States at the Sixth International Bach Competition in Leipzig. England’s Cambridge University, where he has spent two sabbatical research leaves, has conferred him with Life Membership. At Emory, Albrecht headed the graduate organ degree programs for a quarter of a century. He teaches master classes across the country for many chapters of the American Guild of Organists and has performed and taught in Europe and Asia. Albrecht has also taught a master class at the Juilliard School in New York. His discography includes nine solo compact discs, and he has also composed 12 volumes of published Grace Notes for Organ.
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Music at Emory
The Department of Music at Emory University provides an exciting and innovative environment for developing knowledge and skills as a performer, composer, and scholar. Led by a faculty of more than 60 nationally and internationally recognized artists and researchers, undergraduate and graduate students experience a rich diversity of performance and academic opportunities. Undergraduate students in the department earn a BA in music with a specialization in performance, composition, or research, many of whom simultaneously earn a second degree in another department. True to the spirit of Emory, a liberal arts college in the heart of a research university, the faculty and ensembles also welcome the participation of nonmajor students from across the Emory campus. Become a part of Music at Emory by giving to the Friends of Music. A gift provides crucial support to all of the activities. To learn more, visit music. emory.edu or call 404.727.1401.
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More events coming soon to the Schwartz Center Virtual Stage schwartz.emory.edu/virtual-stage Emory Collaborative Piano Sunday, March 28 at 7 p.m.
Emory undergraduate students perform works in two-piano repertoire. Selections include Le Petite Suite (Claude Debussy), Slavonic Dance, op. 72, No. 10 (Antonín Dvořák), Rondo in C Major, op. 73 (Frédéric Chopin), and Suite for Two Pianos, op. 17, Romance (Sergei Rachmaninoff).
ECMSA String Theory
Saturday, April 3 at 8 p.m. Let the vibrations of the strings move you with Martinu’s magical Madrigals for Violin and Viola and Tchaikovsky’s rousing Souvenir de Florence Sextet for Strings performed by Paul Murphy, viola; Roy Harran, cello: and the Vega String Quartet with David Coucheron, guest first violin.
Camille Thomas, cello Candler Concert Series Friday, April 9 at 8 p.m.
The first cellist to be signed by the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label in more than 40 years, Franco-Belgian cellist Camille Thomas blends a brilliant command of her instrument with a rare musicality. Thomas’s recital program with pianist Julien Brocal features selections from her recently released album, Voice of Hope.
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Music at Emory Music at Emory brings together students, faculty, and world-class artists to create an exciting and innovative season of performances and events. In a typical year, Music at Emory presents more than 150 events across multiple Emory venues; however, in this challenging season, we are committed to coming together virtually for a variety of musical offerings. For spring 2021 concerts, we remain steadfast in our mission and continue to present events virtually based on guidance from Emory University and public health officials. Please visit music.emory.edu for the most up-to-date schedule and announcements.
404.727.5050 music.emory.edu