[#294] March 10, 2025
2011 | Symphonic Wind Band | Grade 6 | 10’ - 15’ | Fantasy
Bachseits, by German conductor and composer Johannes Stert is our Composition of the Week.
Bachseits, subtitled “A fantasy in 3 movements for large wind band based on motives from the Ciaccona in D minor for solo violin by J.S.Bach” was written in 2012 for the Hilgen Symphonic Wind Orchestra, Germany, who premiered the work the same year, with Johannes Stert conducting.
Stert’s music aims to bridge the gap between modern wind music and European symphonic music. With this work Stert wishes to “draw out all the colors of the wind orchestra”.
Since its first performance, the piece has received great international recognition.
Bachseits is scored for large wind band, including harp, piano, double bass, 4 percussion parts, as well as soprano and alto recorders (a minimum of 4 players for each flute is required).
The music is cast in three movements:
1. Elegy; 2. Intermezzo; 3. Andante - Pomposo - Fugue and Finale, and it has an overall duration of 12 minutes.
Bachseits is available at Hafabra Music
Succeeding years as Principal Conductor at the Cologne Opera, and Principal Guest Conductor for the Graz Opera, Johannes Stert rapidly has become a sought-after guest at important opera houses around the world. In 2008, he debuted at the Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos, in Lisbon, Portugal, with Mozart´s La Clemenza di Tito, and has become a favorite guest there, with Don Giovanni scheduled for 2009, and La Dona Branca in 2011. Recently, he led a new production of The Magic Flute at the Korean National Opera, in Seoul. In December of 2009, he will make another debut, at the Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen, Denmark. Also, during the 2009-2012 seasons, Stert debuts at the Theater Magdeburg, Germany and Staatstheater Oldenburg, Germany. Stert has been a guest at various festivals, such as the Wiener Festwochen, the Triennale Köln, the Festival in Montepulciano, the Festival Dei due Mondi"" in Spoleto, the Dresdner Festival for Contemporary Music, the Festival in Hitzacker, the ""Schreyaner Autumn"" and the Hamburg State Opera. Numerous contemporary music concerts and projects have resulted in close collaborations with important composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Cage, Manfred Trojahn, Johannes Fritsch, Volker Staub, Detlev Glanert, Maurizio Kagel and Hans Werner Henze. Renowned new music ensembles, like the Ensemble Recherche and the Ensemble Köln, constantly invite him to conduct. Johannes Stert has been a frequent guest conductor of the WDR Radio Orchestra, Cologne, since 2004. As well as concerts, he has conducted CD recording sessions of the rare opera ""Merlin"" by Karl Goldmark, as well as the recording premieres of the two Piano Concerti of Friedrich von Flotow. His conducting career began in 1993 as Second Conductor for two seasons at the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern. There he started a fruitful collaboration with Günter Krämer when the company made a tour to Japan with Weill´s Threepenny Opera. Krämer later engaged him at the Cologne Opera. Johannes Stert was for ten years (1995-2005) closely associated with the Cologne Opera as a conductor and created an important part of every season (premieres, concerts, repertoire). In 2001, he was elevated to the position of First Conductor. In 2001, Philippe Jordan and Karin Stone invited Maestro Stert to conduct at the Graz Opera, where he was engaged as Principal Guest Conductor after two highly successful productions there. Highlights of his five seasons (through 2006) in Graz include his concerts with the Graz Philharmonic, as well as productions of Wagner´s Parsifal, Mozart´s La Finta Giardiniera, Ligeti´s Le Grand Macabre and Henze´s Boulevard Solitude. Since 1990, Stert has been Music Director of the Orchesterverein Hilgen. Under his leadership, this orchestra has grown into one of the leading symphonic wind ensembles of Europe. Over the years, he has created many wind arrangements and orchestrations for them. The German government´s Music Endowment presented them with a First Prize in 1996, 2000 and 2004. In May 2008, the orchestra won the First Prize of the international ""Eolla"" competition in Strasbourg, France. In May 2013, the Orchesterverein Hilgen won the second price of the European competition of UGDA for concert bands in Luxembourg. Johannes Stert was born in 1963, in Freiburg-im -Breisgau, Germany. He began his musical education with lessons in piano, violin and trombone. In 1980, he won the First Prize of the German Government´s program, ""The Young Make Music."" As a result, he earned a scholarship to the International Music Camp in Interlochen/USA. He was commended for ""Excellence"" for his conductor´s examination at the Cologne Conservatory.
Other works for wind include:
Tableaux Sonores (2014)
Wer ist Elise? (2018)