Organist Alcee Chriss is a leading young performer with a growing list of prestigious awards to his credit. He is the University Organist and Artist-in-Residence at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and is a sought after performer. My offering today is one of his beautiful performances of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, transcribed from a concerto by Antonio Vivaldi.
Alcee Chriss biography
Many years ago, as a flutist in a student band, we played a piece simply entitled “Concerto Grosso” with a memorable melody that stuck with me. Since I didn’t remember seeing the name of a Baroque composer on the sheet music, I always assumed it was a contemporary piece written in the Baroque style. Fast forward a couple of decades, and imagine my surprise and joy to hear this piece (actually the Vivaldi concerto, not the Bach arrangement) coming through my car radio tuned to a classical station. I must have started driving a few seconds after the piece started, because I had to wait until it was finished to learn the identity of the mystery composer who had given me the “ear worm” so long ago. How wonderful to then be able to purchase a recording and listen to the full piece, and to later realize that two of my favorite Baroque composers, Bach and Vivaldi, were both associated with this melody. Thanks for posting this, and how amazing to watch Mr. Chriss’ keyboard virtuosity.
What a WONDERFUL story! Thank you for sharing it!