The fift movement of Bach’s Partita in D minor for solo violin clocks in at 15 minutes — longer than its four other movements combined.
The chaconne is 15 minutes of grace and beauty, and it’s devilishly challenging. Notes jerk and twist with urgent thrusts in a pleading cry of despair and dark sadness that gives way to glimpses of hope. It’s an emotional roller coaster born of Bach’s grief over losing his first wife.
Bach’s Chaconne is, in the estimation of St. Andrew’s Bach Society Artistic Director Ben Nisbet, one of the three most important and famous works for violin. It’s also a perfect fit for guitar, and on Sunday Chilean guitar virtuoso Renato Serrano will perform his arrangement for the piece.
“I added some baselines, harmonic backgrounds,” said Serrano, who earned his master’s degree in guitar performance from the University of Arizona and is continuing post-graduate work. “I tried to be really faithful with the original version, but I also tried to make the piece sound like it was originally written for guitar.”
Sunday will be Serrano’s debut of his arrangement.
Serrano has performed around the world and has won a number of prestigious contests including the 2011 Andres Segovia International Guitar Competition. He’s finished first in a number of other international contests including the UA’s Sholin and Beeston.
