Jonathan and Susan Aceto
Jonathan Aceto, known so well to us as a fine violinist (with two previous Hill and Hollow concerts in 1998 and 2005), used his artist retreat to hone his viola skills. He prepared and performed a full program for viola, to be reprised in Maine and at Georgia Southern University, where he has served on the faculty for 12 years. The principal featured work was a transcription of J. S. Bach’s 3rd Suite for Cello in D Major, an eternal masterpiece. Jonathan’s brilliant idea (and it worked beautifully!) was to separate the movements out and juxtapose them with works from other periods. Those works included movements from Schubert’s Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano (1824), Rebecca Clarke’s Viola Sonata (1919), and Alan Hovhaness’s Chahagir (1944). The excellent pianist Susan Aceto, Jonathan’s mother, partnered him on a portion of the program – the Schubert and Clarke. The audience demanded an encore and Jonathan obliged with Jay Ungar’s Ashokan Farewell. Here is a link to view a bit of the concert, which took place on June 29 at the Saranac Methodist Church. http://www.youtube.com/user/MusicApAceto
During his residency Jonathan also performed a special generous act in leading an intensive two-day string workshop for players of all ages and abilities – there were 11 participants from Champlain to Crown Point and from Lake Placid to Plattsburgh – a large geographical area! String programs in our schools are an endangered species, making Jonathan’s service all the more precious to our community.
