An Italian Christmas Concert

ABOUT

CORELLI "CHRISTMAS" CONCERTO

BOTTESINI DOUBLE BASS CONCERTO No. 2

VIVALDI CONCERTO FOR TWO CELLOS

As part of Cape Town’s Christmas festivities this year, Christ Church Constantia is hosting an Italian Christmas Concert on 14 December 2018 featuring international soloists Peter Martens, Jeff Bradetich and Gudrun Raschen. Visiting Texan double bass virtuoso Jeff Bradetich performs the greatist concerto written for the instrument by Giovanni Bottesini. A small orchestra will be conducted by Matthew Reid. A glass of wine will be served during interval.

The Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8 by Arcangelo Corelli, known commonly as the Christmas Concerto, was commissioned by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni and published posthumously in 1714 as part of Corelli's Twelve concerti grossi, Op. 6. The concerto bears the inscription Fatto per la notte di Natale (made for the night of Christmas). Its composition date is uncertain, but there is a record of Corelli having performed a Christmas concerto in 1690 for the enjoyment of his new patron. The Pastorale alludes to the shepherds who gathered at the manger, long notes in the accompaniment imitating the drone of bagpipes.

In the 19th century, the opera conductor, composer, and bassist Giovanni Bottesini was considered the "Paganini of the double bass" of his time, a reference to the violin virtuoso and composer. Bottesini's bass concertos were written in the popular Italian opera style of the 19th century, which exploit the double bass in a way that was not seen beforehand. They require virtuosic runs and great leaps to the highest registers of the instrument, even into the realm of natural and artificial harmonics. Many 19th century and early 20th century bassists considered these compositions unplayable, but in the 2000s, they are frequently performed.

Antonio Vivaldi left only one ‘double’ concerto for cellos: RV531 in G minor. In all probability, this was composed for the Pietà during the 1720s. Its electrifying, cadenza-like opening leaves one in no doubt of its highly charged emotional content. Its slow movement, styled as that of a trio sonata, breathes an almost autobiographical sadness. Its frenetic finale, see-sawing in rhythm and tonality alike, keeps one on the edge of one’s seat. This is a concerto to single out among the hundreds that Vivaldi wrote.

Biographies

Proclaimed by the New York Times as "the master of his instrument," Jeff Bradetich is regarded as one of the leading performers and teachers of the double bass in the US today. Since his New York debut in Carnegie Recital Hall in 1982 he has performed more than 600 concerts on five continents including his London debut in Wigmore Hall in 1986. He has won many major solo competitions, recorded six solo albums of music for double bass and piano and has been featured on radio and television throughout North and South America and Europe including CBS, CNN, BBC and NPR.

He gave his professional concerto debut at the age of 16 and was appointed to the orchestra of the Lyric Opera of Chicago by age 19. Mr. Bradetich began his study of the bass at age 10 in the school orchestra program in Eugene, OR studying with Royce Lewis and Dr. Robert Hladky before studying at Northwestern University with Warren Benfield and Joseph Guastafeste where he earned both Bachelor and Master’s degrees. Other major musical influences include performing for ten seasons at the Oregon Bach Festival with Helmuth Rilling, one of the world’s leading Bach authorities, and summer study with Gary Karr and many of the leading double bass pedagogues in the US.

In addition to being an active lecturer and clinician, Mr. Bradetich has transcribed more than 100 solo works. He has produced both intermediate and advanced level instructional videos and a DVD recording of the first Bach cello suite and the BB Wolf by Jon Deak. He has given more than one thousand master classes throughout the world including annual week-long workshops on three continents. He served as Executive Director of the International Society of Bassists from 1982-1990 and editor of its magazine for 6 years. Jeff Bradetich has taught on the faculties of the University of Michigan and Northwestern University prior to his 1994 appointment as director of the largest double bass program in the world at the University of North Texas. His students hold positions in major orchestras on five continents and occupy many important teaching and leadership positions throughout the profession. Mr. Bradetich has recently established the Bradetich Foundation for the advancement of the double bass. The Foundation hosted the 2010 International Double Bass Solo Competition with the largest prizes in double bass history.

Gudrun Raschen has extensive solo, orchestral and chamber music experience on both double bass and cello. She has given concerts in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Bolivia, Poland, Finland, Italy, Germany, Vietnam, South Africa and Namibia. She has taught and performed at the Pan American Music Festival in South Texas (2008), the International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa (2005/2012), the International Bass Convention in Poland (2011), Oficina de Música in Curitiba, Brazil (2011), the (2011/2013/2015), the Arts Festival Autumn Melodies in Vietnam (2015) and at the Performing Arts Festival in Hawaii (2016). In addition, Gudrun helped establish the Mittenwald International Double Bass Masterclasses in Germany (2006). Gudrun has performed in early music concerts with the Denton Bach Society, the Orchestra of New Spain, Texas Camerata, Fantasmi and Fleurs de Lys. She has toured with these ensembles to Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico and Vietnam. As a freelance musician she has performed with several orchestras in South Africa and the U.S including: Cape Town Philharmonic, Natal Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony, Dallas and Texas Chamber Orchestras, Richardson Symphony, Wichita Falls Symphony and East Texas Symphony. Gudrun studied cello with Leslie Meeks, Magdalena Roux and Annamarie van der Westhuizen and earned her Bachelor and Masters degrees from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, graduating with distinction.

In the United States she continued her postgraduate work in cello performance with Eugene Osadchy and double bass with Jeff Bradetich at the University of North Texas. She received her Doctorate in double bass performance at the University of North Texas in 2009. Gudrun has taught as adjunct faculty at Tarleton State and Texas Women’s University. She is currently Lecturer of Music at UNT and is the founder and teacher of the Bass and Cello Conservatory of Dallas, where she holds group lessons for beginners through advanced players focusing on collaborative learning, performance and chamber music. Her former students have won the Junior and Senior Divisions of the American String Teachers National Solo Competition and are regularly accepted into the top summer music programs in the US and abroad.

South African cellist, Peter Martens studied with Dalena Roux at Stellenbosch University, Heidi Litchauer at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and holds a Masters Degree from the University of Cape Town. In 1993 Peter returned to South Africa and occupied principal positions in the New Arts Philharmonic and Cape Philharmonic before moving to the University of Stellenbosch where he currently holds the positions of Director of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival and Artistic Administrator of the Department of Music. He is a member of the Amici String Quartetand has enjoyed other chamber music partnerships with Leon Bosch (double bass), Lamar Crowson (piano), David Juritz (violin), Nina Schumann (piano), Luis Magalhães (piano), Benjamin Schmid (violin), Daniel Rowland (violin), Wolfgang Schmidt (cello), Mirijam Contzen (violin), Suzanne Martens (violin), Ivry Gitlis (violin) and members of the Osiris Piano Trio, Amsterdam. Recent concert activity includes the Schubert Quintet with the Brodsky String Quartet in London; several performances of the Gulda Cello Concerto; various chamber music performances with pianist, Leslie Howard; several performances of the six Bach Cello Suites and a performance of Beethoven cello sonatas for the Salzburger Schloßkonzerte with pianist Ariane Haering. Concerto engagements have resulted in collaborations with a number of fine conductors including Victor Yampolsky, Bernard Gueller, Douglas Boyd, Nicholas Cleobury and Jonas concerto with Benjamin Schmid and Luis Magalhães, as well as with Suzanne Martens, his own transcription for cello of the solo viola part of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante KV 364, which is available from Stellenbosch University Press. He is married with two children to violinist, Suzanne Martens.

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