68. Coffee Concert

Three hundred years ago Bach’s six Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin set new standards for composition and playing. Violinist Esther Hoppe describes them as both beloved and awe-inspiring companions. The B minor Partita is unique among this set of works for solo violin in that each of the four dances is followed by its Double, that is a doubling but not an exact doubling, more a variation in shorter notes, to spectacular effect in the Corrente. The E major Partita opens with one of the most famous movements of the entire set, a sizzling Prelude – bravura torrents of practically unceasing sixteenth notes. Five dance movements follow, first a slow and majestic French court dance, next the instantly recognisable Gavotte before two Minuets, the first one repeated, a brief Bourée and an irresistible Gigue to close.