Ava Bahari - ECHO Rising Star

Johann Sebastian Bach’s music is like a fountain of youth from which every generation longs to drink. Three centuries after his death, the immortal cantor continues to inspire fresh waves of musicians. In this programme, his Partita for Violin No. 2 serves as a clear point of departure. After attending a concert featuring Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas, Eugène Ysaÿe had an idea: why not write a new piece that expresses the contemporaneous techniques with virtuosity? Kaija Saariaho makes an even more explicit reference with Frises, a 2012 work for violin and electronics that flows seamlessly from the final notes of the Partita for Violin No. 2. It will be fascinating to hear how Anders Hillborg draws inspiration from Bach in his commission for the Swedish violinist Ava Bahari, who belongs to this season’s ECHO Rising Stars programme.