Intimate Bach

Presented by American Bach Soloists

This all-Bach program opens the 2026 San Francisco Bach Festival. Among the most highly valued works in Western art music are Bach’s compositions for solo violin and solo cello. They are considered masterpieces of counterpoint, form, and expressive depth, and require extreme subtleties in performance. This intimate concert presents Toma Iliev in the Violin Partita in E Major, music popularized by Wendy Carlos’s groundbreaking album, “Switched-On Bach.” Gretchen Claassen will perform the spirited and vibrant Suite in C Major for Solo Cello, and two dynamic duos — Bethanne Walker & Gabriel Benton and Elizabeth Blumenstock & Corey Jamason — will present chamber sonatas for flute, violin, and harpsichord, representing Bach at his best.

Program Items

BACH Partita in E Major for Violin Solo BWV 1006 (1720)
BACH Sonata in E Minor for Flute & Basso continuo BWV 1034 (1724)
BACH Suite in C Major for Violoncello Solo BWV 1009 (1717-23)
BACH Sonata C Minor for Violin & Harpsichord BWV 1017 (1717-23)

Performers

Toma Iliev violin
Gretchen Claassen violoncello
Bethanne Walker flute
Elizabeth Blumenstock violin
Corey Jamason harpsichord
Gabriel Benton harpsichord

San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Sol Joseph Recital Hall

San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Sol Joseph Recital Hall

50 Oak Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States