Adam Satinsky: Plays Bach, Glenn Gass & William Walton

Hua Hin Events Presents: An Evening with Adam Satinsky

Join us for an unforgettable concert on April 12 featuring the renowned cellist Adam Satinsky, former principal of the Naples Philharmonic. With over 25 years of celebrated performances, including collaborations with world-renowned musicians, Satinsky brings his extraordinary talent to Hua Hin.

This intimate evening promises a captivating repertoire, showcasing the artistry of a musician who has graced stages from Aspen to Banff and now calls Thailand home.

📅 Date: April 12
🕖 Start Time: 7:00 PM
💵 Tickets: THB 750 (includes one glass of wine)

Don’t miss this special opportunity to experience the brilliance of Adam Satinsky live in concert.

Program:

BWV 1012 Cello Suite no. 6 in D major

I. Prélude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Gavottes I & II
VI. Gigue

 

The Six Cello Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach belong to the Old Testament of cello literature. Every cellist who looks at the music immediately feels how naturally the notes are draped around the strings of the instrument. Yet there are many questions and discussions about these Suites a Violoncello Solo senza Basso. Did Bach really write the music for cello, or at least for cello alone? And when did he write it? At the court at Köthen or earlier?

The suites follow a path from simplicity to increasing virtuosity. Suite no. 6 in D major is exceptional in all respects. In this last suite, which is also the longest, Bach makes the instrument ascend to heaven. He does so by using an extra fifth string – ‘a cinq cordes’, as Anna Magdalena Bach described it in the manuscript. The fifth string lies a fifth above the A string, which is usually the highest. You might even argue that Bach allows the cellist to transcend their own instrument. Violinist and viola da spalla player Sergey Malov believes that this suite was intended to be played on a violoncello da spalla – an instrument smaller than the standing cello, which is played on your shoulder, like a violin. However, cellists who are fanatic about the thumb position can also tackle the sixth suite on a four-stringed cello.

Following the sombre mood of Suite no. 5 in C minor , the lightness and radiance of Suite no. 6 is even more striking. The key of D major, which often symbolises triumph and festivity in the Baroque period, is confirmed straight away in the first bar of the Prelude with bouncy excitement. This cheerful movement that skips along in two-eight time is followed by an atypical Allemande, which is introvert and quiet. But this time too, the heart of the suite is formed by the slow Sarabande with its succession of heavenly chords. Here, the performer has to conceal the effort it takes to play these gliding notes. To emphasise the good mood, the second Gavotte is not in the contrasting minor key for once, but remains dominated by the major. And the Gigue is the superlative of virtuoso bliss.

BWV 1012 Cello Suite no. 6 in D major:  https://youtu.be/wbH3JYfRjOQ

BWV 1007 Cello Suite no. 2 in G major

  • I. Prélude
  • II. Allemande
  • III. Courante
  • IV. Sarabande
  • V. Menuet I
  • VI. Menuet II
  • VII. Gigue

The Prelude of Suite no. 2 opens with a triad signal of three ascending notes, which plainly states the key of D minor. Expectations for what directly follows are also set straight away. Despite the apparently rippling movement of the semiquavers, Bach works almost imperceptibly towards a climax around the golden section, followed by a short and dramatic silence. An epilogue is followed by some long final chords, which the cellist can choose to play as an arpeggio or as a double stop. Whereas the progress of the Allemande seems to be impeded by tough double stops, the Courante is as quick as lightning, as if the devil is at your heels. Steuart Pincombe likes to play the piece very fast, as a counterpart to the elegant and stately Sarabande, which offers the performer a moment of elegance, with pensive trills and sighs to indicate continual cares. The Menuet II brings brief respite, and the closing Gigue that could have been composed in a flowing 12/8 time is instead written in a more rigid 3/8, as if Bach is trying to keep the heroic big leaps in check. The cellist continually breaks free with diabolic little dances, ending on a lively high D.

Bach – Cello Suite no. 2: https://youtu.be/_NvZRo-3wvU

Glenn Gass – Shojoshin-In Chants

William Walton – Passacaglia

The Passacaglia is based on a dark, introverted theme, which is followed by a series of ten variations.  The first three are played on the lower register of the instrument. A climax is reached in the expressive fourth variation. The pace of the music picks up in the fifth and sixth whilst the seventh variation juxtaposes a lyrical melody supported by a pizzicato accompaniment. The eighth and ninth hark back to the composer’s ‘scherzo’ music from his time as an ‘enfant terrible’ of British music. The final variation is a flood of notes that challenges the virtuosity of the soloist. Possibly the only fault that the work has is its brevity – it lasts just over six minutes.

William Walton did not regard his Passacaglia for solo cello as being ‘a piece for public performance’. He felt that it would be better given in private and, interestingly he held the same view about Bach’s Suites for solo cello and violin.

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PERFORMED BY:
Adam Satinsky, Cello

As principal of the Naples Philharmonic for 25 years, Adam Satinsky was lauded both as leader of the cello section and as soloist with the orchestra. On two instances, renowned guest pianists invited him forward to collaborate on virtuoso encores by Schumann and Shostakovich. He became a sought after performer in concert series throughout the Naples area, including Big Arts (Sanibel Island) and Koreshan Art Hall Series (Estero).

Mr. Satinsky spent his pandemic lockdown year (2020) honing his playing by tackling the monumental etude repertoire, including recording the 40 Popper Etudes in just over 40 days. This experience led him to reexamine his career, inspiring him to take time away from orchestral playing to live and perform in his wife’s home country, Thailand.

In his early years Satinsky played in a string trio with two equally talented violinists, performing and competing in the greater Washington, D.C. area. The young musicians dubbed themselves the “Trio Con Brio”. He also attended the Interlochen Arts Camp for 3 summers, giving him his first opportunities to solo with an orchestra. It was after this that he began commuting to Baltimore, Maryland for lessons, chamber music and orchestral studies at the Peabody Institute’s Preparatory division. As the only Prep student to receive Stephen Kates’ advanced training, he was exposed to the great repertoire young and eventually performed a Haydn Concerto with the orchestra. His subsequent college degrees include a Bachelor’s of Music from Eastman and an Artist’s Diploma from Indiana University, with the latter performance-focused degree enabling him to devote all his time to absorbing the wisdom from the legendary Janos Starker. Fellow student Jeremy Denk, a now internationally acclaimed pianist, collaborated with Satinsky on multiple recitals.

Since the age of 14 he has added his unique signature musicianship to the summer festival scene in such scenic places as Boulder, CO; Teton Village, WY; Bellingham, WA; Marlboro, VT; Aspen, CO; Ernen, Switzerland; and Banff, Canada. More recently he has helped establish new chamber music festivals – one in the Low Country (in and around Beaufort, SC and Savannah, GA) and one in North Miami Beach (held in the winter).

His magnificent cello is a Christopher Dungey creation – a mere five years old – made in Grand Junction, CO. Satinsky has expanded his range of pursuits to restaurateur, opening multiple Thai Fusion restaurants with his wife.

PLEASE NOTE:: Registration is mandatory and possible until April 11, 2025, 18:00 hours

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Date

12 Apr 2025

Time

19:00 - 21:00

Ticket Price

฿ 750.00

Location

Elder Blossom Hua Hin
Elder Blossom Hua Hin
Website
https://elderblossomhuahin.com

Organizer

Hua Hin Events
Hua Hin Events
Email
booking@huahinevents.com
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