J.S. Bach: Solo Raaf Hekkema

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Sonata No.1 in G Minor, BWV 1001:
• 1 Bach: Sonata No.1 in G Minor, BWV 1001: I. Adagio (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 03:27
• Sonata No.2 in A Minor, BWV 1003:
• 2 Bach: Sonata No.2 in A Minor, BWV 1003: IV. Allegro (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 06:36
• Sonata No.3 in C Major, BWV 1005:
• 3 Bach: Sonata No.3 in C Major, BWV 1005: III. Largo (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 02:36
• 4 Bach: Sonata No.3 in C Major, BWV 1005: IV. Allegro assai (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 05:03
• Sonata No.2 in A Minor, BWV 1003:
• 5 Bach: Sonata No.2 in A Minor, BWV 1003: I. Grave (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 03:40
• Sonata No.1 in G Minor, BWV 1001:
• 6 Bach: Sonata No.1 in G Minor, BWV 1001: IV. Presto (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 03:50
• Chromatic Fantasia BWV 903 (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema):
• 7 Bach: Chromatic Fantasia BWV 903 (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 07:43
• Prelude in A Minor, BWV 922 (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema):
• 8 Bach: Prelude in A Minor, BWV 922 (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 06:06
• Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E-flat Major, BWV 998:
• 9 Bach: Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E-flat Major, BWV 998: I. Prelude (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 02:46
• 10 Bach: Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E-flat Major, BWV 998: III. Allegro (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 03:21
• Partita in A Minor, BWV 1013:
• 11 Bach: Partita in A Minor, BWV 1013: I. Allemande (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 04:08
• 12 Bach: Partita in A Minor, BWV 1013: II. Corrente (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 03:36
• 13 Bach: Partita in A Minor, BWV 1013: III. Sarabande (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 04:15
• 14 Bach: Partita in A Minor, BWV 1013: IV. Bourrée anglaise (Arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekkema) 02:44
• Total Runtime 59:51

Info for J.S. Bach: Solo

The pandemic in 2020-21 brought little to dispel the gloom among performing musicians. But these months also proved to be a time of reflection and artistic rebirth for many, the arts became a breeding ground for spiritual offspring, and so it proved for me; the genesis of the work you can hear on this album. Finally, there was plenty of time to spend many hours every day working on the project against a background of calm, which made Bach's music all the more comforting!

The prime cut with which I open this album is the Sonata I have assembled from Bach's three sonatas for solo violin. Even though a sonata in six movements may go against musical tradition, I feel it is a very satisfactory solution from a musical perspective.

Soon after this, I cast my greedy eye over the earlier works for organ and harpsichord. The Chromatic Fantasia symbolises early Bach for me; a composer who was heavily influenced by the fantastical style of his idol and predecessor Dieterich Buxtehude.

I made a pilgrimage to my own hero of early music, Ton Koopman. His enthusiasm for my arrangements grew as our meeting progressed. I am deeply grateful to him for his generous assistance.

The Fantasia BWV 922 seemed to be a bigger task altogether. I was keen to let my own creative juices flow in order to adapt the texture in such a way that I could still do the greatest justice to the music's harmonic complexity and sweeping argument.

Before this, however, I had already set about arranging Bach's most famous organ work, the Toccata and Fugue. Generally, I would describe it as a good idea to avoid fugues for what I have in mind, but this one was relatively straightforward for me.

My arrangement of the Partita BWV 1013 is perhaps the simplest of all my Bach transcriptions. All I had to do was transpose this into a key I considered to be better suited to my instrument. I play it on a 1924 curved Buescher soprano saxophone with a matching Buescher mouthpiece. Using historical saxophones may result in a lighter and more transparent sound.

The same argument also applies to the Prelude and Allegro from BWV 998, which I recorded on a straight Buescher alto saxophone made in 1927.

Raaf Hekkema, saxophone

Raaf Hekkema
Multiple prize-winner Raaf Hekkema has an adventurous spirit. Whether he plays Paganini’s violin concerto with orchestra, explores microtones on the saxophone, unravels the inhumanly complex mathematical musical puzzles that Conlon Nancarrow wrote for the pianola – Hekkema doesn’t bat an eye. Performing mainly his own arrangements, he gives approximately 100 concerts per year the world over. Hekkema has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras and has given many international masterclasses. The solo CD ‘Paganini Caprices for Saxophone’ (MDG, 2006) earned him the German Echo Klassik ‘Instrumentalist of the Year’ title. His compositions and arrangements are published by Schott Music, CalefaxEDITION and through his website. He has released three Bach albums with Challenge Classics: Bach Partitas (2014), Bach Suites (2018) and Bach Solo (2023). To this end, he has had lessons with early music specialists such as Vera Beths, Lucy van Dael, Roel Dieltiens and Ton Koopman. For his artistic merits Hekkema was admitted to the Society of the Arts of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.

Hekkema is co-founder of Calefax Reed Quintet (since 1985), for whom he has arranged and composed hundreds of works, many of which have been recorded. Calefax’s repertoire spans nine centuries, Western and non-Western, from improv to contemporary classical. Additionally, the quintet has initiated projects with distinguished artists from the theatre, dance, film, animation worlds as well as those with diverse musical backgrounds. Calefax has taken lessons from, or worked with, experts in the field of early music, including Paul Van Nevel, Bartold and Sigiswald Kuijken, Jan-Willem de Vriend and Frans Brüggen. The ensemble plays at prominent concert venues worldwide, from South America to Japan, appears regularly on international radio and television, and has issued more than 20 albums. Calefax has also been the recipient of various prizes and distinctions. Thanks to the decades-long co-operation with the members of Calefax, all of whom studied with prominent wind players from the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Hekkema’s playing has taken on a musical character unlike any other saxophonist’s. Raaf Hekkema teaches classical saxophone at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.

Booklet for J.S. Bach: Solo