The idea for Arnold Steinhardt’s evening of conversation and performance entitled Chaconne Anyone? was born out of Violin Dreams, a memoir by Mr. Steinhardt published by Houghton Mifflin in 2006.  Violin Dreams chronicles the life of a would-be violinist, but the not so secret star of the book is Johann Sebastian Bach’s towering Chaconne for solo violin, which makes many appearances throughout the story.

In Chaconne Anyone?, a full-length event originally presented at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mr. Steinhardt talks about the masterpiece that every aspiring violinist must study and eventually perform and plays examples of other chaconnes that may have inspired Bach and that were in turn inspired back by his.

Then come questions:

• Why did Bach end his D minor Partita with a chaconne that is as long as all other movements put together?
• Having returned from a trip to find his wife, Maria Barbara, dead and already buried, did Bach, left with seven young children, write the Chaconne as an article of grief?
• Are there secret messages embedded in the Chaconne to be ferreted out?

Mr. Steinhardt talks about the mystery surrounding Bach’s Chaconne and then goes on to describe the fascinating history of the chaconne as a dance that was discovered by the Conquistadores in Central or South America, taken back to Spain where it became wildly popular, promptly was banned by the church, spread rapidly across Europe, evolved into one of the refined dances of the French court, and eventually was embraced by Bach himself.

Finally, while Bach’s exquisite manuscript of the D minor Partita is projected on a screen behind, Mr. Steinhardt ends this evocative program of ideas and music by performing the entire work that culminates in the great Chaconne itself.

A question and answer segment and book signing are possible follow ups to the presentation.

Presenters are also welcome to explore any of the following add-ons:

• Master classes
• Interdisciplinary presentations (dance, history, etc.)
• Full recital with pianist

Learn more about Arnold Steinhardt and Violin Dreams at arnoldsteinhardt.com

• Listen Steinhardt’s 1966 and 2006 performances of Bach’s Chaconne
• A conversation with Alan Alda
• Excerpts, Reviews, and more
• Be sure to check out his blog, Fiddler’s Beat!