This recording is a reflection of several performances that took place over time and in varying acoustic environments, including collaborations with contemporary and aerial/vertical dance. The Cage works tend to be binary in form, and while meditatively free flowing in spirit, the architecture is clean and easily understood. The Bach works—four movements that make up a sonata—offer a multitude of interpretive options, including an approach that wanders through the harmonic labyrinth without regard to pulse and traditional notions of time, magnifying minute rhetorical statements along the way. It can be such that the Bach works represent the dreamscape while the atonal prepared piano pieces of Cage represent structure. This might be in opposition to many listeners’ expectations. Performance traditions of Bach, combined with the underlying dance rhythms and characters that pervade his instrumental writing, steer many musicians in the direction of the rational: consistent tempo, consistent articulation in each motif’s repetition, concise determination of tempo and character as related to the movement’s marking, such as “allegro.” Bach’s exquisite contrapuntal writing and harmonic nuance contribute to the idea of intellectualism as an oft utilized guide for musical interpretation—when deciding about phrasing, articulation, and the sense of time. Conversely, Cage’s exploration of non-Western music idioms played on western instruments seems a natural departure from the European ideas of form and content. Thankfully, written music has much room for the implementation of ever-changing ideas in time, ideas that change over time, and even though a recording seems to be a permanent medium, recordings can be approached as a performance: a rendition of a work or an entire concert program is a reflection of ideas that are offered to the audience here and now. In this recorded rendition, Cage offers the morning coffee following each Bachian dream.

- (Carrettin/Gajić)

1. Sonata for Solo Violin No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

Adagio 6:16

2 – 3. Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano

John Cage (1912–1992)

Sonata III 2:28

Sonata IV 2:00

4. Sonata for Solo Violin No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

J.S.Bach

Fuga 12:07

5 – 7. Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano

John Cage

Interlude I 3:42

Sonata V 1:57

Sonata VI 2:19

8. Sonata for Solo Violin No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

J.S.Bach

Siciliana 5:10

9 – 10. Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano

John Cage

Sonata XIV 2:47

Sonata XV 2:46

11. Sonata for Solo Violin No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

J.S.Bach

Presto 4:12

12. Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano

John Cage

Sonata XVI 4:34

Total time: 50:26
Release date: April 26, 2024
UPC: 053479227300

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Quotes & Reviews

“Violinists Zachary Carrettin and Yueun Kim deliver outstanding playing in Bach’s Double Concerto in D minor. Festival Artistic Director Mina Gajić – whose work as a superbly accomplished pianist I have long admired and reviewed – makes the D minor keyboard concerto sound as if it had been written for her. Both the gifted vocal soloists – soprano Josefien Stoppelenburg and mezzo-soprano Claire McCahan – sing with impeccable command of the JC Bach sacred Baroque style. Cellist Coleman Itzkoff provides a rock-solid foundation throughout the concert. All six artists shine in the closing concert of the indispensable Boulder Bach Festival.” - Rafael DeAcha, All About The Arts

“Both avid classical music aficionados and listeners with exploratory musical tastes are likely to enjoy 'Bach UnCaged'. It is an expressive musical album and an example of the possibilities that arise when reinterpreting well-known pieces from recognized composers. Anyone interested in widening their musical horizons will benefit from the continued emergence of musical projects such as 'Bach UnCaged' in the future, with more and more new artists putting their spins on beloved classics.” - Earmilk