CELEBRATING BACH
Bachian Elegies: Capriccios, Sonatas, Concerti by J. S. Bach and C.P.E. Bach
(And works by Prof. Joan Josep Gutierrez Yzquierdo, Prof. Aspasia Nasopoulou, Prof. Leonardo Coral, Prof. Diana Blom)
Prof. Dr. Michael Tsalka (CUHK-SZ)
Prof. Joan Josep Gutierrez Yzquierdo (Spain, 1957-): Prelude and Fugue (2019, Barcelona. Composed for M. Tsalka)
Johann Sebastian Bach (Germany, 1685-1750): Capriccio in B-flat Major “sopra la lontananza del suo fratello dilettisimo”, BWV 992
1. Arioso: Adagio – ‘Friends Gather & Try to Dissuade Him from departing’
2. (Andante) – ‘They Picture the Dangers Which May Befall Him’
3. Adagiosissimo (or Adagissimo) – ‘The Friends’ Lament’
4. (Andante con moto) – ‘Since He Cannot Be Dissuaded, They Say Farewell’
5. Allegro poco – ‘Aria of the Postilion’ (Aria di postiglione)
6. ‘Fugue in Imitation of the Postilion’s Horn’ (Fuga all’imitazione della cornetta di postiglione
Prof. Aspasia Nasopoulou (Greece/Netherlands, 1972-): 3*1 Suite:
Utopia (2017), Rubini (2017), Ochto (2016). This Suite was dedicated to M. Tsalka.
Carl Philipp Bach (1710-1784): Fantasy in F-sharp minor, Wq6
Prof. Leonardo Coral (b. 1962): Constelaciones, dedicated to M. Tsalka (México City, 2012)
Prof. Diana Blom (1947, Australia/New Zealand): Two Cloud Studies
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750, Germany): Contrapunctus 14, from Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080. Left incomplete at the time of the composer’s death. Probably meant to be a quadruple fugue with four separate expositions. My interpretation is immediately followed by C. P. E. Bach’s proposed conclusion.
Johann Sebastian Bach (Germany, 1685-1750)/Antonio Vivaldi (Italy, 1678-1741):
Transcription of a Violin Concerto for Harpsichord, in G major, BWV 973
I. No tempo indication
II. Largo
III. Allegro
Michael Tsalka is currently serving as an Assistant Professor at the School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. He is also a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA), Salzburg, Austria; the Chairman of the Board (and faculty) of the European Fortepiano Museum and Academy (EFM) in Germany, and a visiting Professor at Celaya Conservatory of Music in Guanajuato, Mexico. As a pianist and early keyboard performer, he has won numerous prizes in Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America. He is a versatile musician, who performs repertoire from the early Baroque era to our days.
Dr. Tsalka maintains a busy concert schedule, performing circa 110 concerts a year worldwide, plus live performances for radio/television stations around the globe (Sydney, Chicago, Buenos Aires, Berlin, Munich, Stockholm, Helsinki, Auckland, Brussels, Geneva, Canberra, London and Hong Kong, China). Together with musicologist Dr. Angélica Minero Escobar, he has prepared a critical edition of Daniel Gottlob Türk’s 30 keyboard sonatas for Artaria Editions in New Zealand. Additionally, eight of his scholarly articles have been published by music journals, in Italy, the U.S.A., and the Netherlands. He has recorded 30 critically acclaimed CDs for NAXOS, Grand Piano, Paladino, Brilliant Classics, IMI, Sheva Collection, Wirripang, and Ljud & Bild.
Circa 70 contemporary compositions (which he premiered) were dedicated to Prof. Tsalka, by composers from all over the world. Dr. Tsalka has directed multiple festivals in China, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Finland. Dr. Tsalka’s students have been accepted to prestigious institutions worldwide, often with complete grants and awards—Eastman School of Music, Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Jacobs School of Music, Royal Conservatoire The Hague, Peabody School of Music, RNCM (U.K.), and have recently won first prizes at International Piano Competitions.
