Season 49
2020-2021 Season
5/4/2021
Dover String Quartet &
Bridget Kibbey
CELEBRATING JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
The works of J.S. Bach exhibit that grand paradox I love so much: Symmetry and form meeting the purest beauty of a simple line. Every phrase asks the artist to sing in a way that transcends the instrument while respecting the grand architecture of the composition.
It is this dual presence one experiences on stage that is so satisfying: Relishing the momentary beauty of a passing line while rising up 10,000 feet to watch the harmony unfold.
It is my great pleasure to join the formidable Dover Quartet in sharing this experience with you live, via some of our best-beloved works of J.S. Bach, adapted for harp and string quartet.
In this context, the harp becomes a mighty organ, an intimate lute, a clavecin supporting vocal lines executed by the bow. The quartet becomes a harpsichord with lines drawn out in various colors, an individual violin becomes a vocalist; and together, the ensemble becomes an orchestra exalting in the complexity of woven counterpoint.
We hope you enjoy our celebration of J.S. Bach, re-imagined for harp and strings.
--Bridget Kibbey