Northwest BachFest celebrates 40th anniversary with West Coast premiere

To commemorate its 40th anniversary, Northwest BachFest is celebrating in a big way.

At this year’s BachFest, artistic director and Grammy award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey will help perform the West Coast premiere of the Laszlo Varga arrangement for sextet of Richard Strauss’ tone poem “Don Quixote.”

The piece, which Strauss wrote when he was just 24 years old, premiered in Weimar, Germany, in 1889 and quickly became an international success.

The Grammy award-winning Ying String Quartet (featuring violinists Robin Scott and Janet Ying, Phillip Ying on viola and cellist David Ying), Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist organist John Bodinger and Matt Herskowitz, who is returning to BachFest after a popular performances in 2016, will also perform during this year’s festival.

Northwest BachFest opens Tuesday and runs through March 11.

Festival Opening Concert - Mendelssohn, Berg and Beethoven (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. $15/students; $35/general admission)

The Ying String Quartet and Bailey will kick off the festival with a performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 12, Alban Berg’s String Quartet, Op. 3 and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata arranged for string quartet in A Major, Op. 47.

Twilight at Barrister Concert (Wednesday, 6 p.m., Barrister Winery. $20)

The Ying String Quartet and Bailey will perform a program which will be announced at the concert.

Bach, Schumann Concerto and Arensky (March 2, 7:30 p.m., Hamilton Studio, 1427 W. Dean Ave. $15/students; $35/general admission)

The Ying String Quartet and Bailey will perform a Bach sonata or partita for solo violin, Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 arranged for Cello and String Quartet and Anton Arensky’s Cello Quartet No. 2 in A minor for two cellos.

The Ying String Quartet and Bailey are especially familiar with the Schumann piece, having arranged the piece and released it in 2016 as “Re:Imagined – Schumann and Beethoven.”

Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms (March 4, 3 p.m., Barrister Winery. $15/students; $35/general admission)

The Ying String Quartet, Bailey and David Armstrong on viola will perform a program that includes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue, K. 546, Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74, often referred to as the “Harp” quartet, and Johannes Brahms’ Sextet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 36.

“Don Quixote” and Ernö Dohnányi (March 5, 7:30 p.m., Barrister Winery. $15/students; $35/general admission)

Bailey will be joined by Mateusz Wolski (violin), Nick Carper (viola), Daniel Cotter (bass clarinet), Emily Browne (horn) and Matt Herskowitz (piano) for the West Coast premiere of the Laszlo Varga arrangement for sextet of Richard Strauss’ tone poem “Don Quixote.”

The program also features Dohnányi’s Sextet in C Major, Op. 37.

Twilight at Barrister Concert (March 6, 6 p.m., Barrister Winery. $20)

Bailey and Herskowitz will perform a program of cello and piano selections to be announced at the concert.

“Don Quixote” and Ernö Dohnányi (March 7, 7:30 p.m., Hamilton Studio. $48)

Bailey, Wolski, Carper, Cotter, Browne and Herskowitz will again perform Varga’s arrangement of Strauss’s “Don Quixote.” During this performance, scenes from “Don Quixote, the Man of La Mancha” will be projected above the musicians. The group will again play Dohnányi’s Sextet in C Major, Op. 37, and Herskowitz will also perform solo.

“Don Quixote” and Ernö Dohnányi (March 8, 7:30 p.m., Hagadone Event Center, 900 Floating Green Drive, Coeur d’Alene. $15/students; $35/general admission)

At this concert, Bailey, Wolski, Carper, Cotter, Browne and Herskowitz will perform “Don Quixote” and Dohnányi’s Sextet in C Major, Op. 37 for classical music fans in Coeur d’Alene.

Gottschalk to Gershwin (March 9, 7:30 p.m., Barrister Winery. $15/students; $35/general admission)

Herskowitz will perform a selection of pieces, including Brahms’ Clarinet Trio in A Minor, which will feature Bailey and clarinetist Chip Phillips. Bailey will feature on other works throughout the concert.

Finale Concert (March 11, 3 p.m. Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 127 E. 12th Ave. $15/students; $35/general admission)

The 2018 Northwest BachFest closes with a performance from Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist organist John Bodinger, performing solo and accompanied by Bailey. The program includes Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BMV 582, Max Bruch’s “Kol Nidrei,” Op. 47, Ernest Bloch Schelomo’sHebraic Rhapsody for Solo Cello and Organ and César Franck’s Choral No. 1 in E Major, FWV 38.

The 2018 Northwest BachFest will also feature a quintet of special events.

Bach’s Lunch Concerts (March 1 and 8, noon, River Park Square’s Kress Gallery, 808 W. Main Ave. Free)

Bailey will be joined by guest performers for two Bach’s Lunch concerts. Listeners of all ages are invited to bring their own lunch or buy lunch from the food court. The programs, which are about an hour long, will be announced at the concerts.

Flash-Bach! (March 2 and 9, noon. Free)

Bailey and guest artists will perform Flash-Bach! concerts at downtown venues, which will be announced at 8 a.m. the morning of each concert in the Northwest BachFest newsletter and on the festival’s Facebook page.

Listen Up! Eat Up! Drink Up! Celebrate! - A Festival Finale Celebration (March 11, 5:30 p.m., Barrister Winery. $75, includes buffet dinner limited to 150)

The BachFest finale celebration features music from Herskowitz, a buffet dinner from Fery’s Catering, no-host Barrister wines, a Flamenco dance performance, and an auction.