J.S. Bach Suite No. 1 in G major BWV 1007
00:25 Prelude
03:02 Allemande
06:44 Courante
08:28 Sarabande
12:00 Bouree
15:40 Gigue
17:14 Commentary by George Stauffer
Perspectives Ensemble presents the first of a series, “Music in the Time of Covid,” as one contribution to the global efforts of artists to meet this challenging moment in history with resilience and creativity. The six Suites for Solo Cello of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) are among the most iconic and captivating works for that instrument and Perspectives Ensemble’s longtime solo cellist, Wendy Sutter, has centered them in her repertoire over the course of her career, constantly deepening her relationship to these masterworks. Perspectives Ensemble is delighted to offer her August 23, 2020 livestreamed performances of the Six Suites in full, and to frame them with unique commentaries by renowned musicologists and cultural commentators, George Stauffer, Kira Thurman, Don Byron, and Tim Page. The Ensemble expresses its profound gratitude to the Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation, the Si Newhouse Foundation, and the Hegardt Foundation for generous support in making this project possible.
Heralded as “one of the great leading cellists of the classical stage” by the Wall Street Journal, Wendy Sutter has proven herself as one of the foremost and diverse soloists of her generation. Having performed widely on five continents, she has been acclaimed by critics in all major publications including The New York Times, Strad Magazine, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Ms. Sutter has appeared frequently as concerto soloist with such orchestras as The Dallas, Seattle, Colorado, Tucson, Shanghai Symphonies, The Hong Kong and Brussels Philharmonics and The Royal Residentie Orchestra of the Hague. As soloist, she has performed under many esteemed conductors, including Jaap Van Zweden, Marin Alsop, and Tan Dun. Ms. Sutter appears regularly at festivals including Marlboro, Spoleto, Ravinia, Seattle Chamber Music Society, Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society. In addition, she has played numerous solo recitals at venues such as The Barbican, Carnegie Hall, Bargemusic, and Lincoln Center. Philip Glass's solo cello suite “Songs and Poems,” written exclusively for Sutter by Glass in 2007, won great acclaim from audiences and critics world-wide, was voted best new CD of the year by listeners of National Public Radio, and became the second-best selling download in 2008 in the classical division on iTunes. In 1994 Ms. Sutter was invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov to give the world premiere of “A Suite of Dances,” an on-stage duet for Ms. Sutter playing Bach solo suites for cello, accompanying Mikhail Baryshnikov. This piece was choreographed especially for these two artists by the legendary Jerome Robbins.
Perspectives Ensemble was founded by its Artistic Director Sato Moughalian in 1993 as the resident ensemble for the series Perspectives in Music and Art at Columbia University. Under her direction, the group continues to present programs that contextualize the work of living and historic composers and artists, consistently receiving the highest critical accolades. Praise from The New York Times includes "first-rate performances by accomplished musicians," and the Times called the ensemble's performance of El Amor Brujo "stunning. Perspectives Ensemble worked [without a conductor], yet gave a performance that was remarkably polished, fastidiously balanced and full of electricity."
The Ensemble serves as Artist in Residence of the Foundation for Iberian Music, City University Graduate Center. The Fundación Ramón Llull honored Artistic Director Moughalian with its 2013 Prize for Creative Arts. A product of her lifelong interest in the intersection of the arts with history, Moughalian’s first book, Feast of Ashes: The Life and Art of David Ohannessian, was published by Redwood/Stanford University Press in 2019.
Perspectives Ensemble has been presented in the Morgan Library, Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, Lincoln Center, Columbia and New York Universities, the Guggenheim and Rubin Museums, and has recorded for Sony Classics, American Modern Recordings, and two recordings for Naxos, featuring works of Xavier Montsalvatge and Manuel de Falla, each of which was released to resounding critical acclaim. The Ensemble served in residence for the Young People's Chorus of NY's Transient Glory commissioning program, and for the Miller Theatre's groundbreaking Pocket Concerto Project, Composer Portraits, and Bach series.