The Bach Dialogues Matt Haimovitz & Christopher O'Riley

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Trio Sonata No. 5, BWV 529:
• 1 Bach: Trio Sonata No. 5, BWV 529: I. Allegro 04:49
• 2 Bach: Trio Sonata No. 5, BWV 529: II. Largo 05:50
• 3 Bach: Trio Sonata No. 5, BWV 529: III. Allegro 03:17
• Sonata No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 1029:
• 4 Bach: Sonata No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 1029: I. Vivace 05:08
• 5 Bach: Sonata No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 1029: II. Adagio 05:09
• 6 Bach: Sonata No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 1029: III. Allegro 03:53
• Sonata No. 2 in D Major, BWV 1028:
• 7 Bach: Sonata No. 2 in D Major, BWV 1028: I. Adagio 01:53
• 8 Bach: Sonata No. 2 in D Major, BWV 1028: II. Allegro 03:49
• 9 Bach: Sonata No. 2 in D Major, BWV 1028: III. Andante 03:54
• 10 Bach: Sonata No. 2 in D Major, BWV 1028: IV. Allegro 04:16
• Sonata No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1027:
• 11 Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1027: I. Adagio 03:32
• 12 Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1027: II. Allegro ma non tanto 03:17
• 13 Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1027: III. Andante 02:15
• 14 Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1027: IV. Allegro Moderato 02:53
• Total Runtime 53:55

Info for The Bach Dialogues

Cellist Matt Haimovitz on five-string cello piccolo and Christopher O’Riley on clavichord explore Bach’s Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Cembalo (BWV 1027– 1029) and Trio Sonata No. 5 (BWV 529) in The Bach Dialogues, a digital-only album. The clavichord and cello piccolo, two of Bach’s favorite instruments, offer an otherworldly entry into the composer’s imagination and musical intentions. The diaphanous timbres and rich palette of articulation and dynamic amplify a dialogue not only between the period instruments but also across time, technology, and human nature. Resonance is the guiding philosophical principle, shaping every phrase and gesture.

Recorded over four days at state-of-the-art Skywalker Sound in California, the sessions required headsets for both performers to hear each other clearly, with O’Riley isolated in the live space to capture the clavichord’s delicate sound. Haimovitz’s baroque bow and gut strings, paired with O’Riley’s clavichord (modeled on the Swedish baroque clavichord), bring out the expressive nuance and affect inherent in Bach’s music. The result is a detailed, vivid performance where historical instruments, modern recording techniques, and the artists’ deep musical insight converge to create a living conversation across centuries.”

Matt Haimovitz, cello
Christopher O'Riley, piano

Matt Haimovitz
GRAMMY-nominated Matt Haimovitz is acclaimed for both his tremendous artistry and as a musical visionary – pushing the boundaries of classical music performance, championing new music and initiating groundbreaking collaborations, all while mentoring an award-winning studio of young cellists at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music in Montreal.

Mr. Haimovitz made his debut in 1984, at the age of 13, as a soloist with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic, and at 17 he made his first recording for Deutsche Grammophon (Universal Classics) with James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Haimovitz made his Carnegie Hall debut when he substituted for his teacher, Leonard Rose, in Schubert’s String Quintet, alongside Isaac Stern, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman and Shlomo Mintz.

Haimovitz’s recording career encompasses more than 20 years of award-winning work on Deutsche Grammophon and his own Oxingale Records. Close collaborations have included composer Philip Glass, pianist Christopher O’Riley, actor Jeremy Irons, author Cornelia Funke, and mezzo- soprano Frederica von Stade, among others. The solo cello recital is a Haimovitz trademark. In 2000, he made waves with his Bach “Listening-Room” Tour, for which Haimovitz took Bach’s beloved cello suites out of the concert hall and into clubs. He was the first classical artist to play at New York’s infamous CBGB, in a performance filmed by ABC News.

Haimovitz’s honors include the Concert Music Award from ASCAP, the Trailblazer Award from the American Music Center, the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Diapason d’Or, and the Premio Internazionale “Accademia Musicale Chigiana.”

Christopher O'Riley
Acclaimed for his engaging and deeply committed performances, the pianist Christopher O’Riley is known to millions as the host of NPR’s From the Top. Now in his fifteenth year on air, O’Riley introduces the next generation of classical-music stars to almost a million listeners each week. He performs around the world and has garnered widespread praise for his untiring efforts to reach new audiences.

Christopher O’Riley has performed as a soloist with virtually all of the major American orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, National Symphony, and San Francisco Symphony. In addition, O’Riley has performed recitals throughout North America, Europe, and Australia.

Living by the Duke Ellington adage “There are only two kinds of music, good music and bad,” O’Riley – a proponent of the former in all of its guises – has received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and an equally coveted four-star review from Rolling Stone magazine. O’Riley strives to introduce new audiences to classical music with an almost missionary zeal by performing piano arrangements of music by Radiohead, Elliott Smith, Pink Floyd, and Nirvana alongside traditional classical repertoire. He has collaborated for many years with the flutist Sir James Galway and cellists Matt Haimovitz and Carter Brey.

A prolific recording artist, O’Riley has recorded the music of Beethoven, Stravinsky, Scriabin, Liszt, Ravel, Gershwin, Debussy, and John Adams for Sony Classical, Oxingale Records, RCA Red Seal, Decca, and Harmonia Mundi.

Christopher O’Riley splits his time between Los Angeles and rural Ohio.

Booklet for The Bach Dialogues