Hailed by The New York Times for her “rich tone” and “virtuosic panache,” violinist Francesca Anderegg delivers insightful accounts of contemporary and classical music. Through her inventive programming, active composer collaborations, and precise yet impassioned interpretations, Anderegg has earned renown as a musical explorer of the first order. As a soloist, Anderegg has toured throughout Argentina and Brazil, performing a wide variety of contemporary and standard violin concerti with orchestras in the United States and South America. Since her Carnegie Hall debut performance in 2008, Anderegg has given recitals in national and international venues, including Brooklyn’s National Sawdust, the National Museum of Colombia in Bógota, concert halls throughout Brazil during her tour as a U.S. Embassy-sponsored artistic ambassador, and many other venues across the world. She appeared at Chicago’s Symphony Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York with Itzhak Perlman and members of the Perlman Music Program.
Watch Francesca’s Recital:
In Francesca Anderegg’s unaccompanied “Songs of Solitude” recital program, we hear the stirring beauty of solo violin as fashioned through the centuries by the minds of such luminaries as J. S. Bach, Fritz Kreisler, and Eugène Ysaÿe.
Anderegg says, “Every composer following Bach has been influenced by his monumental Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin. In this concert, I present two movements from Bach’s Solo Violin Partitas, followed by compositions that were based on this way of writing for the instrument. Sergei Prokofiev’s Solo Violin Sonata presents a rhythmic and virtuosic take on the genre, while Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 2 evokes Baroque forms and gestures. Kreisler’s Recitativo and Scherzo provides a brilliant conclusion to the concert. Through this programming, I show the connections between the more familiar works of Bach and the more modern works of Prokofiev and Ysaÿe, to take the audience on a varied and lively musical journey.”
Thoughts from Our Week 4 Curator:
Eileen Carr, Artistic Director
Dayton ArtsLIVE
On Francesca’s Performance
“As so many of us sit sequestered from ordinary life, how appropriate to have a range of what solitude might conjure. In this video we get a glimpse of a musician in her own simple space, dressed not for a formal performance but for an informal personal performance.
This lovely session opens with a Bach Partita that immediately matches what we might first think of when faced with “solitude”: it is a contemplative piece, verging on the mournful. But the next Bach Partita–a spritely gigue–suggests that there is some pleasure to be had in stepping out of the usual stream of pubic life. That lively perspective extends through most of the rest of the half hour, with selections by Prokefiev, Ysaye, and Kreisler. In contrast, Anderegg selects a more introspective piece –Sonata No 3 in C Major–from Bach for contrast. Overall, what a pleasure to take in a bravura but intimate performance: in just 30 mintues, Anderegg gives us a taste of the range of emotions we find ourselves running through during this imposed solitude. You’ll have to add your own applause!”
On the Arts During the COVID-19 Crisis
“Just six weeks ago I was unnerved as I realized I would have to cancel the final performance of our season. At the time, it felt like a huge step, but by now, in context, that single cancellation was a drop in the bucket: we’ve watched the complete collapse of live, in-person performances. Musicians, agencies, and presenters are all facing previously unimaginable challenges. As a university-based presenter, I’m lucky to be somewhat insulated: for over 60 years, the University of Dayton has helped underwrite the ArtsLIVE Performance Series. Additionally, in the last ten years, I’ve been able to help secure substantial endowment funding. But even this may not be enough.
Whatever the strategy might be for restarting the economy and slowly leaving our state of self-isolation, one thing seems clear: we won’t be returning to what we know as “normal” any time soon. This is especially relevant when I think about our audiences: even if we figure out strategies to deal with in-person classes and dorm life, it seems irresponsible to think about gathering a mixed crowd of undergraduates and over-65s in an intimate setting to hear a live performance.
I don’t yet know what the answer is for at-risk audiences. But I do know that I continue to feel deeply committed to maintaining the series I’ve managed for 15 years, and to maintaining its vitality and diversity–not just for me, but for our community. We have lots of live arts events in our small city, but none are as adventurous as ours. I’ve always thought that as a University presenter, we should be challenging–or at least nudging–our audiences to expand their experience, to be curious and open. That’s the essence of a good education, which–I hope–doesn’t end with someone’s graduation. We’ve presented everything from throat singers to classical pianists, from classic jazz to experimental contemporary. I remain hopeful for our program, as well as for others. As much as I’ve admired the tremendous ingenuity and commitment of live-streamed and recorded performances that musicians are now sharing, there’s still nothing like attending a live, in-person performance. I’m pretty sure that’s something we all understand, and I’m counting on it carrying us through.”
Eileen Carr is Artistic Director for ArtsLIVE at the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH.
Public Health Sponsors
Three doctors at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health – Dr. Caroline Buckee, Associate Director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics and Associate Professor of Epidemiology; Dr. Satchit Balsari, Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Health and Population; and Dr. Yonatan Grad, Melvin J. and Geraldine L. Glimcher Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases – sponsored the first three weeks of Robinson Recitals.
About Robinson Recitals
| The Robinson Recitals initiative is an innovation competition for “live” social distancing video concerts specifically designed for retirement and nursing homes, hosted by Boston-based classical music management firm Ariel Artists. Weekly winners of the Robinson Recitals competition receive a $500 prize and will have their concerts distributed widely to the retirement home and nursing home communities nationwide, where residents, their family members from afar, staff, and others can enjoy them as they are able to during their days. Family members and their mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers living in retirement homes can watch the same live concert video together at the same time at their own convenience, from their separate residences, and in that way, share a live performance in real time. Applications are open on a rolling basis. Winning concerts will be distributed every Thursday for as long as funding lasts. |
Past Winners
Week 1:
Danae Dörken’s 30-minute recital, which she calls “A Musical Journey” and narrates along the way, includes works by Grieg, Schubert, the Greek composer Manolis Kalomiris, and Béla Bartòk. She performs from her living room in Berlin, Germany.
Week 2:
Benedict’s recital, titled “Song of the Birds” is inspired by the great cellist Pablo Casals and begins with Saint Saëns’ iconic “The Swan.” He then performs Casals’ favorite encore, Song of the Birds, Giovanni Sollima’s virtuosic Lamentatio, and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite in D Major No. 6, from the set of suites which Casals transformed from practice exercises to famous concert works.
Week 3:
Tesla Quartet violinists Michelle Lie and Ross Snyder perform a recital featuring some of their favorite violin duets by Joseph Haydn, Ignaz Pleyel, and Béla Bartók.