Bach’s Incomplete Masterpiece Restored
Sat, October 22: Accademia Bizantina with Ottavio Dantone. Teatro Niccolini. 4 pm
Demonstrating Johann Sebastian Bach’s unfinished work “The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080,” is Accademia Bizantina, led by composer Ottavio Dantone at Teatro Niccolini this Saturday. The piece was left without indication of instrumental design due to Bach’s passing away, leaving experts to expand upon what was recorded on manuscripts. Dantone will rely on the musical range and international talent of the Accademia Bizantina orchestra for an interpretation of the source material.
Bach’s idea behind “The Art of Fugue“ was to express the elemental form of monothematic music at the fundamental level. It is a collection of canons and fugues in an order of increasing complexity, each retaining a single musical subject. The compositions begin with a simple melody that is then built upon by interweaving a contrapuntal phrase. Every tune twirls counter a partner, creating music that seemingly contends itself while dancing upon the ear.
The venue, Teatro Niccolini, reopened earlier this year. Florence’s oldest stage (the origins of which date back to the 1600s) is a perfect venue to reflect this masterpiece of the fugue form. The subject of the form lies in rising both reflection and invention to make higher art. The theatre is a mirror into the past through retaining its 18th century architecture. It also exhibits the ingenuity required in continuous invention as the space underwent restoration and renovation, which lasted ten years, and is now equipped with modern lighting wiring, and security.
The talent behind this concert, Accademia Bizantina, plays period instruments. They are specialists in 17th, 18th, and 19th century pieces, mixing traditional Italian chamber music with a modern, interpretative approach. Composer Ottavio Dantone joined the group in 1989 as harpsichordist and became the artistic and musical director in 1996. As a whole, Accademia Bizantina is an orchestral force powerful enough to breath new life into Bach’s last work. (carson cecil)
