As soon as we heard Kazuhito was going to conclude his concert with one of the greatest musical works of all time, Bach’s Chaconne in d minor from his Second Violin Partita we knew we wanted to do something special. We have found something special indeed!
We are very excited to announce that special guest Jessica Mathaes, Concert Master of the Au
stin Symphony Orchestra, will be giving a brief talk and demonstration about the Chaconne beginning at 7pm before Kazuhito’s concert which will begin at 8pm.
What is a Chaconne, you ask?
“A chaconne (/ʃəˈkɒn/; French: [ʃakɔn]; Spanish: chacona; Italian: ciaccona, pronounced [tʃakˈkoːna]) is a type of musical composition popular in the baroque era when it was much used as a vehicle for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short repetitive bass-line (ground bass) which offered a compositional outline for variation, decoration, figuration and melodic invention. In this it closely resembles the passacaglia.” Wikipedia
Not only is Jessica an award-winning violinist, she has traveled the
world to perform with multiple orchestras and served as a Musical Ambassador for the U.S. on a solo and masterclass tour through Singapore. She became the youngest and first female Concert Master of the Austin Symphony in 2005 and has maintained the title since then.
In the words of our Executive Director Matthew Hinsley, “If you have not seen Jessica perform before, you are in for an incredible treat. She’s a marvelous musician, and I cannot wait to hear everything she has to say about Bach’s seminal solo violin piece – one of the most influential of all time.”