Bachiana Asya Fateyeva

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750):
• 1 Concerto for Violin, Strings and Continuo in G Minor, BWV 1056r: I. Allegro 03:35
• 2 Concerto for Violin, Strings and Continuo in G Minor, BWV 1056r: II. Largo 03:02
• 3 Concerto for Violin, Strings and Continuo in G Minor, BWV 1056r: III. Presto 03:45
• Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959):
• 4 Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, W389: I. Ária 06:02
• Johann Sebastian Bach:
• 5 Concerto for Violin, Strings and Continuo in A Minor, BWV 1041: I. Allegro 03:46
• 6 Concerto for Violin, Strings and Continuo in A Minor, BWV 1041: II. Andante 05:42
• 7 Concerto for Violin, Strings and Continuo in A Minor, BWV 1041: III. Allegro Assai 03:58
• 8 "Lobet Gott in Seinen Reichen", BWV 11: IV. "Ach, Bleibe Doch, Mein Liebstes Leben" 07:14
• 9 Concerto for Oboe, Violin, Strings and Continuo in C Minor, BWV 1060: I. Allegro 04:43
• 10 Concerto for Oboe, Violin, Strings and Continuo in C Minor, BWV 1060: II. Adagio 04:57
• 11 Concerto for Oboe, Violin, Strings and Continuo in C Minor, BWV 1060: III. Allegro 03:31
• Heitor Villa-Lobos:
• 12 Fantasia Para Saxophone, W490: I. Animé 04:36
• 13 Fantasia Para Saxophone, W490: II. Lent 02:37
• 14 Fantasia Para Saxophone, W490: III. Très Animé 03:00
• Total Runtime 01:00:28

Info for Bachiana

Johann Sebastian Bach is revered by musicians and music-lovers around the world – the German weekly Die Zeit has described him as the “fount of all music”, and violinist Yehudi Menuhin had a very simple explanation for our continuing fascination with Bach’s works: “He represents something greater within us.” Classical saxophonist Asya Fateyeva has engaged with Bach’s oeuvre since her youth, albeit at a disadvantage to many of her colleagues – the Thomaskantor wrote no works for the saxophone. Not that this put off the young musician, voted Best Female Newcomer at ECHO Klassik 2016: her latest CD Bachiana featuring works by J.S. Bach and Heitor Villa-Lobos prove her to be not only a virtuosa of her instrument but also a gifted arranger. She is ably supported by the inspired Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn under its principal conductor Ruben Gazarian.

“Even when I was a child, I was really inspired by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. That was when I began to play the piano, later I switched to the saxophone – and his music was simply always there. I think every musician feels the same; Bach’s universal language knows no frontiers and when you come into contact with his music, you sense that you are in touch with eternity,” confesses Asya Fateyeva. The naturalness and authenticity of her Bach playing, coupled with the versatility of an instrument that lets her free the spirit of Bach’s compositions, results in wonderful interpretations on her new CD Bachiana of the G minor Concerto originally written for harpsichord and of the Violin Concerto in A minor and the Double Concerto for violin and oboe, where she is supported by violinist Erik Schumann. She also plays the aria “Ach bleibe doch, mein liebes Leben” (ah do but stay, my dear life) from the cantata Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen – a wonderful opportunity for Asya Fateyeva to show how melodious the saxophone can sound.

For her second release after her debut CD, which was devoted to original works for saxophone, Asya Fateyeva has complemented her Bach arrangements with another composition written expressly for her instrument. Bach is backed by Heitor Villa-Lobos: his Fantasia for soprano saxophone and chamber orchestra, here represented by string orchestra and three horns, was written in 1948 and is one of the Brazilian composer’s best known works. Bach it was who inspired Villa-Lobos’s cycle Bachianas Brasileiras, from which No. 5, originally composed for soprano and eight cellos, has been selected for this CD. With its sure sense of style and abundant resources of expressiveness, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn under its principal conductor Ruben Gazarian is a constant companion to Asya Fateyeva – making Bachiana a recording that is as convincing and yet as surprising for Bach lovers as for saxophone fans.

Asya Fateyeva, saxophone
Erik Schumann, violin
Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn
Ruben Gazarian, conductor

Asya Fateyeva
Born on the Crimean Peninsula in 1990, Asya Fateyeva can draw on a wide repertoire, encompassing works originally written for her instrument as well as works from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods. Her training has combined the Russian tradition of soulful music-making with the methods of the French classical saxophone school. She regularly plays tenor saxophone in the renowned Alliage Quintet. Now based in Hamburg, she has taught classical saxophone at the Münster College of Music since 2014.

Asya Fateyeva has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Fedoseyev at the Vienna Musikverein. She has appeared as a guest in the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, the National Philharmonic of Ukraine and the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra. She has been invited to perform at festivals in Colmar, Fermo, Cologne, Moscow and St Petersburg and at the Festival of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania too. In 2015 Asya Fateyeva won the Berenberg Arts Award, which included prize money of 10,000 euros. In October 2016 she won the ECHO Klassik award for “Newcomer of the Year”.

Booklet for Bachiana