A few years ago I was going to do a concert that I had to cancel. And in the concert was a 4-cello arrangement of Bach’s ‘Chaconne’. (Most string players just call it ‘the chaconne’ – for most of us, it doesn’t need to have a composer, or a BWV number. It’s like the holy grail, in a way. But for those of you who mightn’t know it, it’s from Bach’s Partita no. 2 for solo violin. ) I’d learned my part, and listened to it, and fell in love with the piece all over again. I mean, I loved this piece. I’d listened to it countless times. I’d marvelled at it. But it is a violin piece, and I was learning the Bach suites for cello, and so although I loved it, I didn’t really study it. But this time, I really dived into it. And it was like seeing an art work you’d forgotten about in beautiful lighting and in a beautiful space. I remembered just how fabulous it was. So not only was a disappointed about the concert, I was disappointed about not being able to play this piece. Not really because of the time I’d put into it, because nothing is wasted. But because I didn’t get to play it.
And last week as I was gardening, I was wondering about the repertoire for the upcoming two-cello concert. And I remembered the chaconne. And as I was planting out tiny weeny seedlings, I wondered if there was a two-cello version of this. I figured it’d be hard. But if anyone would agree to walk this dangerous path with me, it’d be David Pereira. Because I knew he loved this piece as much as I did (maybe even more?), and it was him who taught me to challenge myself whenever I could. (‘Always say yes to stuff’, he told me in my final year of study with him.)
I found an arrangement of it. And by jingo, it’s hard. SO hard. And I was right, David is totally up for it. So I am starting to learn this version. It’s nothing like the other arrangement. I mean, it is in that it’s the same music, in the same key, but no – there’s no parts like the other cello part I learned.
But I am SO excited by it. I am dreaming about it. I am thinking about it as I drive. I am wondering about what fingerings will work where. And it makes me so happy that still, after umpteen years of programming, and playing, that this happens. It doesn’t surprise me that it’s J.S.B.’s music.
And now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m off to practise some more.