Hopkinson Smith to Perform Bach, 11/11

The 'official' Bach works for the lute are primarily individual 18th century arrangements which were never conceived of as a unit (as were, for instance, the English and French Suites for keyboard or the 'cello Suites or the violin Sonatas and Partitas). Some of these lute adaptations were by Bach himself (BWV 995 based on the fifth 'cello Suite or BWV 1006a from the third violin Partita) and others come from his circle. My own adaptations of Bach works played on the baroque lute, include the fourth and sixth 'cello Suites and my arrangements of the complete violin Sonatas and Partitas.

The first three 'cello Suites, quite different from the last three, have a unique melodic charm and a singular energy. I have long pondered the best way to realize these works on a plucked instrument. I feel that the baroque lute lacks the depth and nobility that the 'cello range can give, and that the French/Italian theorbo is somewhat of a historical, geographical and aesthetic anomaly for this repertoire. A solution which I think is more satisfying on all counts is the German theorbo. It has a longer string length and is tuned a third lower than the baroque lute, giving it more resonance and bringing it closer to the poetic world of the 'cello, and its double-strung basses (where the low note is reinforced by a note an octave higher) give an added eloquence which the single strung French/Italian variant does not have.

- Hopkinson Smith

"Gorgeous melismatic singing...great depth of feeling"

Congratulations to all the artists who collaborated to create From Ghetto to Capella: Interfaith Exchanges in the Music of Baroque Italy.

Special thanks to Music at St. Paul's Chapel for hosting the concert, The Temple Emanu-El Skirball Center for so graciously hosting Francesco Spagnolo's pre-concert lecture, and to Gibney, Anthony & Flaherty LLP, who successfully petitioned for contralto Noa Frenkel's visa so that she could come from Amsterdam to join us in performance.

Thank you to all the artists who contributed repertoire to From Ghetto to Capella. That includes not only three of last week's performers, soprano Jessica Gould, lutenist Grant Herreid, and organist Pedro d'Aquino, but also countertenor David Feldman and organist Lucia Baldacci, who were part of the original incarnation of this program when it was first presented in Florence, Italy in May with the generous support of the Archdiocese of Florence.

Sometimes too many cooks make a great dish indeed!