Chamber Music: Bach Transformed
Date: April 2027
Time: –
Location: City Museum, Auditorium floor 2
Price: 160–320 SEK
Join us for an unusual musical journey through different sides of Bach. His music is lively and playful, but also lonely, searching and deeply moving.
Hear music by Johann Sebastian Bach in a completely new form. His violin partitas and cello suites come to life in surprising new arrangements. They are performed by two of Sweden’s leading classical musicians.
The programme takes you from the joyful Cello Suite in D major to a dance-like version of the Violin Sonata in G major.
You will also hear the beautiful B minor Partita. Two different movements are played at the same time. The well-known Prelude from the E major Partita is also given a new guitar part.
The programme then moves into the beautiful darkness of the D minor Partita for solo violin. Here, it is performed in a new arrangement for violin and guitar.
The piece has a possible story of mystery and deep emotion. When Bach returned from a journey in 1720, he learned that his wife, Maria Barbara, had died suddenly and had already been buried.
The entire partita, and especially the twelve-minute Chaconne at the end, has been seen as reflecting his grief and loss.
Words, poetry, and stories come together as Dramaten actor Gunnel Fred reads poems (in Swedish) during the concert. The music’s expression deepens, opening up new spaces for the listener. Her readings become part of the musical journey, where words and notes meet in joy, dance, reflection, and sorrow.
Clip on Youtube
Christian Svarfvar, violin
Christian Svarfvar is one of Sweden’s most internationally active violinists. He studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and The Juilliard School in New York.
He has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Musikverein in Vienna and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He has also recorded three solo albums with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
David Härenstam, guitar
Härenstam is widely recognized for his recordings, earning praise from critics who have called him “one of the leading guitarists of his generation”, while Classical Guitar Magazine (USA) describes his playing as “technical wizardry”.
A student of Professor John Mills, Härenstam holds an Advanced Diploma from the Welsh College of Music and Drama. He serves as the artistic director of two chamber music festivals and has toured across China, Australia, and Europe.
Gunnel Fred, narrator
Gunnel Fred has appeared in numerous films and television productions, including Ingmar Bergman’s “Private Confessions”, directed by Liv Ullman. At Sweden’s Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten), her recent stage credits include “Don Carlos”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “The Ghost Sonata”, “Another Country” and “Spoon River”.
A short interval is included.
This event is made possible with support from the Swedish Arts Council.
