Sonapartita (Noch Nach Bach)
Steven Moeckel, violin
Don Freund, piano
1. Adagio
2. Passepied
3. Presto
4. Siciliano
PROGRAM NOTES
Sonapartita (Noch Nach Bach) was written for the Brussels-based duo of Daniel Rubenstein and Muhiddin Durruoglu-Demiriz for inclusion on their CD of new music for violin and piano inspired by the Baroque. Sonapartita is indeed influence by an antique style period -- the late 1960's, when composers like George Rochberg (whose harpsichord piece "Nach Bach" is celebrated in the subtitle) took to heart T.S. Eliot's dictum that artists should steal rather than borrow. This is particularly true of Sonapartita's third movement (Presto), in which the violin part is an exact replica of the final movement of Bach's G minor Partita for solo violin, while the piano (in a manner that '60's new-music fans will remember from Lukas Foss's Baroque Variations) colorizes various structural notes (it's almost Schenkerian) and exaggerates Bach's dramatic shapes. The other three movements hearken back to an even more ancient style period, resembling the sound and attitude of Stravinskian neo-classicism more than '60's stealism; there are no quotes in these movements (at least not intentionally), but the present composer hopes that his life-long immersion in the music of Bach resonates in this music.
Biography: Steven Moeckel
Steven Moeckel, the son of a violinist mother and violist father, was surrounded by music as a child, so it's no wonder he started playing violin when he was 4 years old. His mom taught him, and two years later, he played his first recital. By the time he was 8, playing violin was second nature.
Born in Germany, Moeckel spent part of his childhood in Florida, when his father taught at Florida State University. They returned to Germany, and young Moeckel put the violin on hold and pursued his second love, singing. He landed a spot in the Vienna Boys Choir, where he spent two years before enrolling at age 14 in the prestigious Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
Armed with his bachelor's degree, Moeckel returned to the United States to study with preeminent violinist Miriam Fried at Indiana University.
His post-graduate resume includes performances throughout the United States and Europe, including on French and Italian television. He has been with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra since being named concertmaster in 2002.