“When was the last time you went to a concert of classical music and heard something that was made up on the spot?” writes Elizabeth Nonemaker in Friday’s (9/6) Baltimore Sun. “Cellist and historical performance specialist Juliana Soltis found herself asking that question one day while practicing music by J.S. Bach. She started improvising on the repeats—and it sounded pretty good…. ‘I realized that there was no good reason, either from a historical or artistic perspective, why you wouldn’t ornament Bach’s music,’ says Soltis. Three years later, Soltis is on the brink of releasing an album inspired by that moment. ‘Going Off Script: The Ornamented Suites for Cello’ releases on September 10. The same day, Soltis kicks off a U.S. tour of that album at [Baltimore’s] Creative Alliance. Soltis will perform Suites No. 1 and 6. The prelude from Suite No. 1 is perhaps the most recognizable piece of solo cello music…. Soltis will be adding her own embellishments…. She strove to maintain that attitude of discovery while recording … She allowed herself to record multiple versions of a performance. Her live performances operate the same way… ‘It’s risky, for sure, but I think it’s very exciting,’ she said.”
Posted September 6, 2019
