Bach from Organ to Strings is one of the most ambitious programs proposed by Ensemble Locatelli over the years, and it has two strengths: the absolute and guaranteed quality of Bach‘s music and the uniqueness of the arrangements curated personally for the ensemble by Thomas Chigioni.
The concept of this program is to transfer some of Bach’s greatest organ music pages to the other great expressive medium available to the composer: the string orchestra. We can indeed consider Bach as a “pure” composer, whose music transcends the limits of the instrument for which it was conceived and can be well adapted and transcribed for other instruments. The most striking example in this sense is the collection on which the composer focused his energies in the last days of his life: “The Art of Fugue”. Composed without indicating the instruments intended for performance, this collection of counterpoints demonstrates how for Bach music is absolute, and how the instrument is only the means to an ultimate end, which is the Divine.
A passionate scholar of works by composers from the Bel Paese, Bach adapted numerous Italian concertos to the organ. Bach’s great compositional expertise and care in voice management allow us to take the opposite path and create new versions for string orchestra with original arrangements.

The concert is included in the program of The Music Center 2025

Playbill

J.S. Bach (1685-1750)

Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme BWV 645
Fantasy in G Major BWV 572
Prelude and Fugue in C Major BWV 531
Dorian Toccata BWV 538
Fugue in G Minor BWV 542
Prelude and Fugue in G Major BWV 541
Prelude and Triple Fugue in E-flat BWV 552

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Locatelli Ensemble

Thomas Chigioni piccolo cello and conductor