In an interview a few years ago, Swiss violinist Maya Homburger, who was known for her work with baroque music, said that she was planning a “ Bach marathon” and the concert was to last several hours. The audience would have the opportunity to move around, listen to one hour or four hours as they liked, completely sink into the music or just take on board individual sonnets and partitas. At the time, Maya Homburger said, “This would enable me to play differently, without these moments of starting and ending which I sometimes find difficult, particularly with solo Bach pieces.” Now this plan is being put into practice: the “Bach Meditation” is taking place in candlelight for a contemplative atmosphere. Homburger once confessed that for her Bach is the most spiritual composer of all. Together with her longstanding artistic and life partner, Barry Guy, one of the most important bassists working at the border between freely improvised jazz and new music, she will combine Bach pieces with György Kurtág pieces, H.I.F. Biber and improvisations. A critic who had experienced one of these “meditations” was completely enraptured: Homburger’s devotion had “blown him away”. The way in which the pieces are combined worked beautifully – so well that he had gotten into a kind of trance state. This sounds highly promising!
