Zoltán Fejérvári Piano Recital Presented by Liszt Academy

The term “partita” has taken on different meanings throughout various periods in music history. During the time when Johann Sebastian Bach’s artistry was flourishing, the partita represented a type of suite originating from France. In this form, slow and fast-tempo dance movements, as well as movements with even and odd meters, were all built on similar musical ideas and harmonic progressions. Only a few of Bach’s works were printed during his lifetime, among which was the four-part Clavier-Übung. The first part, published in 1731, included the six partitas for keyboard that Bach composed between 1725 and 1730 and had been publishing individually since 1726. This concert will feature the second two of these partitas. In the 19th century, these pieces were also referred to as German suites—modeled after the earlier French and English suites—although the partitas themselves have no distinctly “German” characteristics. In fact, compared to the two earlier series, their structure and composition are less “angular”, much looser, and more varied. The next part of the Clavier-Übung was published in 1735, featuring an Italian concerto and a French overture, which will also be performed in the second concert of Zoltán Fejérvári’s series.