Allemandes commissioning and recording project
In 2017, Nancy Ives received a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council here in the Portland, Oregon area to commission five leading Oregon composers -- David Schiff, Robert Kyr, Bonnie Miksch, Michael Johanson and Kenji Bunch -- and herself to write responses to the six Allemandes of the Suites for solo cello by J.S. Bach. That phase of the project was completed in June of 2018, with a premiere performance of the six new works alternating with the Bach Allemandes. Since then, she has presented parts of the project in a variety of venues, including the 2018 Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium.
The next phase is to produce a recording of the whole 12-piece cycle. While she has played as a “side man” or member of a group on numerous recordings, Ives has never produced one herself, representing her won voice and vision -- as a player, a composer, a programmer (as shown by the unusual format in this case) and as a performer, with the opportunity to stretch interpretively as a solo artist. She says, "A collection of new pieces for solo cello by top-notch composers is a worthy goal in itself, but I am particularly excited at the potential for the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts. There are dozens of recordings of the Bach Suites, but none that I’m aware of that focus on one of the dance forms exclusively. The idea of alternating Baroque movements with modern ones is not new, although it hasn’t been done to excess, and rarely (if ever) with multiple modern composers. There's a gentle subversiveness in the choice of the Allemandes as the focal point. Out of all the dance forms in the Bach Suites, they are something of an underdog. Many players find the Allemandes interpretively vexing — neither slow nor fast, ornate but a bit square, and not particularly dance-like — and I used to feel that way, too, but over the years I have had some very special experiences with them that opened my eyes to their deep potential. The interpretations of them that I present in this context are different than I would do as part of the performance of a full Suite, from tempo to the use (or not) of the printed repeats. For me, they are depictions of profound inner journeys and internal conversation, and in this project, they are in dialogue with the thoughts and musical expressions of living composers."
Each piece, either performed live or as a track on the CD, stands on its own. At the same time, her goal has been that the recording be a delightful and soul-nourishing listening experience as an entire album, and along with complete concert performances, represents "an in-depth exploration of a very particular mood, disposition and spirit, something elegantly discursive, contemplative and elegant," Ives says, "I want to add to the literature for solo cello and to be part of the conversation that resonates through time between musicians and the composers who write for them. My hope is that the new pieces will enter the cello repertory. After all, without the efforts of cellists before me, many of the pieces I love wouldn’t have been written!"
The next phase is to produce a recording of the whole 12-piece cycle. While she has played as a “side man” or member of a group on numerous recordings, Ives has never produced one herself, representing her won voice and vision -- as a player, a composer, a programmer (as shown by the unusual format in this case) and as a performer, with the opportunity to stretch interpretively as a solo artist. She says, "A collection of new pieces for solo cello by top-notch composers is a worthy goal in itself, but I am particularly excited at the potential for the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts. There are dozens of recordings of the Bach Suites, but none that I’m aware of that focus on one of the dance forms exclusively. The idea of alternating Baroque movements with modern ones is not new, although it hasn’t been done to excess, and rarely (if ever) with multiple modern composers. There's a gentle subversiveness in the choice of the Allemandes as the focal point. Out of all the dance forms in the Bach Suites, they are something of an underdog. Many players find the Allemandes interpretively vexing — neither slow nor fast, ornate but a bit square, and not particularly dance-like — and I used to feel that way, too, but over the years I have had some very special experiences with them that opened my eyes to their deep potential. The interpretations of them that I present in this context are different than I would do as part of the performance of a full Suite, from tempo to the use (or not) of the printed repeats. For me, they are depictions of profound inner journeys and internal conversation, and in this project, they are in dialogue with the thoughts and musical expressions of living composers."
Each piece, either performed live or as a track on the CD, stands on its own. At the same time, her goal has been that the recording be a delightful and soul-nourishing listening experience as an entire album, and along with complete concert performances, represents "an in-depth exploration of a very particular mood, disposition and spirit, something elegantly discursive, contemplative and elegant," Ives says, "I want to add to the literature for solo cello and to be part of the conversation that resonates through time between musicians and the composers who write for them. My hope is that the new pieces will enter the cello repertory. After all, without the efforts of cellists before me, many of the pieces I love wouldn’t have been written!"
Kenji Bunch, Nancy Ives, David Schiff, and Michael Johanson after the 6/2018 performance of the complete Allemandes at The Old Church Concert Hall.