Esther Hoppe in her second Bach recital opens the day with the A minor and C major Sonatas, both known for their mighty, mind-bending fugues. In the A minor Sonata, the fugue is followed by a serenely beautiful Andante, whose tenderness acts as a balm after the fugue’s harsh complexities. The C major Sonata opens with profound Adagio whose steady tread leads us to the quiet opening of the Fugue, the longest by far in the set, a place where the spiritual and virtuosic elements of the performance are so finely balanced that it is difficult to say where one ends and the other begins. On a slightly lighter note is the staggering brilliance of the final Allegro that dances its way into the heavens. If you love great music, do not miss this recital.
