High-Priestess of playing Bach

Bach is nourishment for the soul, says pianist Angela Hewitt. She is convinced that Bach builds character and provides deep inner satisfaction when playing and listening. She receives letters from all over the world. Most of them concern Bach, she says. She reads again and again that Bach has helped people in the most diverse situations in their lives or provided comfort when the appropriate words were missing.

Practise, practise, practise
For her, too, Bach is the centre of her life. Angela Hewitt comes from a family of musicians. Her father was a cathedral organist in Ottawa, Canada. Even as a little girl, she felt the power, drama and excitement in Bach's works. Her mother, a pianist, taught her the dance-like quality of Bach's music. From the toy piano she was given as a two-year-old, she quickly moved on to the grand piano.

But she also had flute lessons, took singing, ballet and gymnastics lessons and learnt to play the organ. Everything she learnt helped her to play Bach. For example, she sings a melody before she plays it on the piano, says Hewitt. Her feeling for dance helps her to find the right tempo. But it is only through experience and years of ‘practising, practising, practising’ that you develop a feeling for the inner musical coherence of a piece.

Half a century of ‘Goldberg’
In Ernen, Angela Hewitt wants to take the audience on a journey through Bach's universe. The five recitals by the high priestess of playing Bach are dominated by the ‘Well-Tempered Clavier’ and the ‘Goldberg Variations’. A very special anniversary: Angela Hewitt has been playing the ‘Goldberg Variations’ on the concert stage for 50 years! The gifted pianist accompanies these masterpieces of piano literature with works by Domenico Scarlatti, Brahms, Mozart, Handel and Haydn. Hewitt's repertoire is wide-ranging. However, Bach's piano works, which she has recorded on 14 CDs for the British record label Hyperion, have always remained her main focus.

Two questions to Angela Hewitt

‘Rituals’ is the festival theme for 2025. What are your personal rituals?
Angela Hewitt: If I have a concert in the evening, I try to sleep as long as possible during the day. At the hotel, I make sure I have breakfast in my room when I wake up. I prefer to rehearse in the early afternoon - usually no longer than 90 minutes. It's important to save the energy for the actual performance. I eat something before the performance. It's part of the ritual.

I always have tinned sardines in my wardrobe. They are perfect for the memory. Also rye crackers, fruit, especially bananas. But also soya yoghurt or an avocado for a break. I avoid eating late in the evening. I answer emails while travelling. There's never an end to it! I also study my scores. You can't waste time when travelling. Somehow I'm always working. But on a very long flight to the Orient or America, I sometimes watch a movie, preferably one in Italian.

You give concerts in major world centres with large concert halls. What does it mean to you to perform in Ernen, a picturesque mountain village?
Angela Hewitt: In my career, I have always played in smaller venues - especially in Canada, of course, but not only there. These concerts are often some of the most special experiences of my career. I know this from my own festival in Umbria, the Trasimeno Music Festival. I love playing in a beautiful place in an intimate setting, where people go on holiday. Personally, I very rarely go on holiday. I spend my free time in my house in Umbria. I find peace and quiet there, even when I have to practise. Fortunately, I recover quickly. As soon as one concert is over, I get ready for the next one.

Piano compact | 29–31 August 2025 | 5 Recitals with Angela Hewitt

Take part in this dense piano ritual with Angela Hewitt!

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Written in December 2024, by Marianne Mühlemann (translated by Jonathan Inniger)