J. S. Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin Esther Hoppe

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001:
• 1 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001: I. Adagio 03:49
• 2 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001: II. Fuga. Allegro 05:02
• 3 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001: III. Siciliana 02:51
• 4 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001: IV. Presto 03:43
• Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002:
• 5 Bach: Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002: I. Allemande 05:42
• 6 Bach: Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002: II. Double 02:53
• 7 Bach: Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002: III. Corrente 03:34
• 8 Bach: Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002: IV. Double. Presto 03:27
• 9 Bach: Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002: V. Sarabande 03:16
• 10 Bach: Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002: VI. Double 02:29
• 11 Bach: Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002: VII. Tempo di Borea 03:16
• 12 Bach: Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002: VIII. Double 03:08
• Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003:
• 13 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003: I. Grave 04:04
• 14 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003: II. Fuga 07:31
• 15 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003: III. Andante 04:50
• 16 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003: IV. Allegro 06:27
• Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004:
• 17 Bach: Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: I. Allemanda 04:54
• 18 Bach: Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: II. Corrente 02:29
• 19 Bach: Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: III. Sarabanda 04:07
• 20 Bach: Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: IV. Giga 04:09
• 21 Bach: Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: V. Ciaccona 14:23
• Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005:
• 22 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005: I. Adagio 04:18
• 23 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005: II. Fuga 10:06
• 24 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005: III. Largo 03:15
• 25 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005: IV. Allegro assai 05:08
• Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006:
• 26 Bach: Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: I. Preludio 03:24
• 27 Bach: Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: II. Loure 04:26
• 28 Bach: Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: III. Gavotte en Rondeau 03:05
• 29 Bach: Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: IV. Menuet I & II 04:37
• 30 Bach: Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: V. Bourrée 01:40
• 31 Bach: Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: VI. Gigue 01:47
• Total Runtime 02:17:50

Info for J. S. Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin

The Violin Sonatas and Partitas manuscript, which has fortunately survived, is dated 1720. The first page of the autograph carries the note “Libro Primo”; Bach’s Cello Suites BWV 1007-1012 may have been regarded as the “Libro Secondo”. A dedicatee is not known. Johann Sebastian Bach composed his Violin Sonatas and Partitas when he was employed as Kapellmeister in Köthen (1717-1723) and probably completed the cycle in 1720.

There is hardly any other work in the entire violin literature with such significance. Bach set new standards in playing and composition; these works have lost none of their topicality and brilliance to this day.

Few composers had written works for unaccompanied violin before him, and indeed not entire cycles. However, it is assumed that Bach knew, for example, Johann Paul von Westhoff’s collection of Solo Violin Suites (1696). In his compositions, Westhoff had already attempted to create the illusion of bringing polyphonic music to life through an unaccompanied melodic instrument. Bach brought this art to an unsurpassable level of perfection in his Sonatas and Partitas.

The six Violin Sonatas and Partitas were already astonishingly widespread in the 18th century; many copies were produced. However, they only became widely known when the violinist Joseph Joachim, a close friend of Brahms, began to play them more frequently in the concert hall.

Today, it is impossible to imagine the violin repertoire without this cycle of works.

Esther Hoppe, violin

Esther Hoppe
The Swiss violinist Esther Hoppe has built an international reputation as soloist, chamber musician and pedagogue.

After studying in Basel, Philadelphia (Curtis Institute of Music), London and Zürich she won 1st Prize at the International Mozart Violin Competition in Salzburg in 2002. Shortly after she founded the Tecchler Trio with whom she won many prizes at numerous competitions, such as 1st Prize at the International ARD-Competition in Munich in 2007. From 2009-2013 she was 1st concertmaster of the Munich Chamber Orchestra.

In 2013 she was appointed professor for violin at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Apart from many appearances as a soloist she is a passionate chamber musician. Her partners include Ronald Brautigam, Christian Poltéra, Francesco Piemontesi, Clemens und Veronika Hagen, Lars Anders Tomter, Alexander Lonquich and the Auryn Quartett, amongst others.

She’s a regular invite to festivals such as in Gstaad, Lucerne, Edinburgh, Lockenhaus, Mondsee, Graz (Styriarte) and Salzburg.

Following two highly-praised CD-recordings with works by Mozart, Strawinsky and Poulenc with pianist Alasdair Beatson for Claves Records, a complete recording with Johann Sebastian Bach’s works for solo violin will appear with the same label in October 2021. Further CD-recordings appeared for Virgin Classics, Neos, Concentus Records and Ars Musici.

She plays the “De Ahna” Stradivari violin from 1722 and a violin by Gioffredo Cappa from 1690.

Booklet for J. S. Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin