FRAGMENTS is a groundbreaking, multi-year project for solo cello that weaves together the 36 movements of Bach’s solo cello suites with 27 newly commissioned works. The resulting collection is divided into six Fragments, each an hour long and blending five to six composers, to be released independently over several seasons.
Within each Fragment, individual movements from a single Bach suite are thoughtfully integrated with selected new works to create a new emotional arc. Enhanced by responsive lighting and scenic architecture, the music is performed without pause and without a program, making for a wholly original and immersive audience experience.
Creative Team:
Project Creator and Cellist: Alisa Weilerstein
Director: Elkhanah Pulitzer
Set/Lighting Designer: Seth Reiser
Costume Designer: Carlos J Soto and Molly Ireland
Artistic Producer/Advisor: Hanako Yamaguchi
My greatest hope is to deepen connection between audience and artist through a series of unique performances that embrace the world we live in without sacrificing the intellectual and aesthetic qualities that make this artform such a singular mode of human expression.
– Alisa Weilerstein
Weilerstein and her director, Elkhanah Pulitzer, are aiming to rethink how artists connect with their audiences by reconfiguring the traditional concert format, which they feel has gotten, if not quite stale, predictable. An element of surprise — and the abandonment of preconceived notions — is critical to their concept.
– NY Times
My greatest hope is to deepen connection between audience and artist through a series of unique performances that embrace the world we live in without sacrificing the intellectual and aesthetic qualities that make this artform such a singular mode of human expression.
– Alisa Weilerstein
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