Bach in Italy, 22–28 November 2020

Abstract

Bach in Italy, 22–28 November 2020 Chiara Bertoglio The international conference “Bach and Italy” took place in a digital format from 22 to 28 November 2020. It was co-organized by the Association JSBach.it, founded by Maria Borghesi and myself, by the Conservatory “G. Verdi” of Turin, and by the Istituto per i Beni Musicali in Piemonte, a research institution for the promotion of the musical heritage of Piedmont. The conference committee included Kenneth L. Hamilton (Cardiff University), Michael Heinemann (Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber, Dresden), Stefano Leoni (Conservatory “G.Verdi” of Turin), Michael Maul (Bach Festival and Bach-Archiv Leipzig), Ruth Tatlow (Uppsala University and Bach Network), and Yo Tomita (Queen’s University Belfast and Bach Network), along with Maria Borghesi and myself, representing JSBach.it. The Covid-19 situation led us to consider various options for restructuring an event that had originally been planned in a traditional form. After much pondering, we decided to broadcast the conference on our social media channels, to make it available at no charge, and to maintain an archive of all videos, which will constitute a repository of research, knowledge, and music for all those interested in Bach. Moreover, we decided to extend the conference’s duration from the initial three days to an entire week, in order for the sessions and other events to be more temporally distanced, and thus to allow the audience more time to enjoy the rich program. The result exceeded our expectations in many respects. The artistic and scholarly level of the presentations, roundtables, keynotes, and concerts was very high. Moreover, following the presentations in each session, debate was encouraged by the chairs, and it involved both the session’s speakers (who were virtually gathered in a “room” provided by a videoconference platform) and the audience following the session on social media. Listeners were invited to interact by writing their questions and comments in the social media chat, and this resulted in long and fruitful discussions, frequently longer than one hour. Thus, one of the most important aspects of scholarly gatherings, that is, the discussion and interaction, was not sacrificed due to the need for social distancing. Another unexpected result was that speakers, audience, and [End Page 72] organizers alike distinctly felt a strong “human” component, in spite of the undeniable lack of proximity, and the feedback we received was uniformly enthusiastic. The conference began in the evening of 22 November with an opening ceremony, during which Maria Borghesi and myself briefly discussed the two main currents of research concerning “Bach and Italy,” that is, the inspiration Italy provided to Bach and the Italian reception of his music and figure. Our speeches were framed by excerpts from Bruno Giuranna’s transcription of the Goldberg Variations for string trio, performed by the young musicians of the Trio Quodlibet. The ceremony was filmed in one of the most breathtaking baroque palaces of Piedmont, the Reggia di Venaria Reale. On Monday, 23 November, the day opened with a special episode of “Un caffè con JSBach.it,” a video podcast series started by JSBach.it during the spring lockdown. The day’s guest was Kenneth L. Hamilton, who was interviewed about Liszt’s reception of Bach and who beautifully played Liszt’s version of Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen BWV 12. In the afternoon, the first session, conducted in Italian and chaired by Annarita Colturato (University of Turin), was dedicated to Bach’s reception of Italy and included presentations about Bach and the seconda prattica (Enrico Baiano, who presented a lecture-recital at the harpsichord), the origins of the Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D Minor BWV 1052 (Fabrizio Ammetto), and a lecture-recital on Bach and Vivaldi (Giorgio Dellarole). The following session, chaired by Valentina Bensi, included a presentation by Beatrice Birardi focusing on Bach’s music in fascist radio broadcasts, and one by Francesco Leprino on a documentary film he created on Bach’s Die Kunst der Fuge. The day closed with a fascinating keynote speech by Michael Maul, who has investigated Bach’s interest in Italian music throughout his creative life, arguing that “Herr Bach” was also, in part, a “Signor Bach.” The following...