Letters from Bachville (2019)

"My music in Leipzig! When the news reached me, it was like a childhood dream suddenly come true. At first, I couldn't believe it. Then I let the dream unfold. I began picturing myself roaming in ecstasy through the streets of the mythic city, even treading at times over the very footprints of the great Cantor, while the beloved music poured into my dazzled ears.

Days went by. Leipzig for me gradually became Bachville, and I decided my piece would retrace this dream through a kind of personal 'Bach playlist'. My plan was that it would not only feature the great moments of my Bach memories, but also illustrate the way this music is so often heard today (boiled down to the opening notes of a few famous pieces, hastily put together for both easy listening and instant interruption)."  Betsy Jolas

Commissioned by the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Letters from Bachville was completed in 2019. The premiere took place in Leipzig on September 12, 2019 by the Gewandhaus Orchester under Andriss Nelson.