Kai Köpp (Viola, Musicologist)

Born: 1969 - Northeim, Lower Saxony, Germany

Kai Köpp [Koepp], both a professional viola performer and a well-known researcher, is professor of musicology and interpretation practice at the Bern University of the Arts. After studying at the Staatl. Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and Schola Cantorum Basiliensis he was a member or principal viola of period orchestras like Cappella Coloniensis, Nova Stravaganza, Concerto Köln, Deutsche Händel-Solisten, Das Neue Orchester, LBarockorchester L'arpa festante etc. and took part in over 40 recordings. As a musicologist he obtained MA, PhD and habilitation degrees from the University of Freiburg and the Mozarteum University in Salzburg and taught at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste and the Staatl. Hochschule für Musik Trossingen before developing the Bern Interpretation Research Institute.

Having studied the historical viola d'amore at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis for 3 years with Dorothea Jappe, he was her duet partner in uncounted performances of J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) solos throughout Europe while working on his PhD on Johann Georg Pisendel (supervised by Christoph Wolff) and his “Handbuch historische Orchesterpraxis” (Bärenreiter 2009, 2/2013). He has recorded with many leading period performers such as René Jacobs, Sigiswald Kuijken, Siegbert Rampe, Christoph Spering, Andreas Staier, Bruno Weil, Arnold Östman etc., and in 2005 he performed a program on the viola pomposa (J.S. Bach's Violoncello piccolo da spalla) at the Bachwoche Ansbach with Christian Rieger and Anton Steck. He has also conducted the Feldkirch Baroque orchestra Concerto Stella Matutina.

He promoted the traditional bow grip with the thumb under the frog in a number of recordings, among them Bach’s Early Ouvertures, recorded at the Köthen palace concert hall with Nova Stravaganza in 2002. Besides playing the viola pomposa, he is also known for exploring the use of harpsichord strings on the viola d’amore without sympathetic strings – the German type of instrument known to J.S. Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and Christoph Graupner – both in concerts and articles. As a performer-researcher he continues to perform and is coaching numerous conductors, soloists and ensembles, while promoting further research on historical performance practices as a supervisor of scholarly dissertations and director of publicly funded research projects.

Articles on Bach

„Die Viola d'amore ohne Resonanzsaiten und ihre Verwendung in Bachs Werken“ in: Bach-Jahrbuch 2000, hg. v. H.-J. Schulze und C. Wolff, Leipzig (Evangelische Verlagsanstalt) 2000, 140–165
„Streichinstrumente und ihre Spielpraxis“, in: Bachs Orchestermusik, hg. v. S. Rampe und D. Sackmann, Kassel (Bärenreiter) 2000, 292–302
„Love without sympathy – Research into the early viola d'amore reveals that the instrument Bach knew was rather different to that played today.“ in: The Strad 112/1333, Mai 2001, 526–533
„Johann Adolph Scheibe als Verfasser zweier anonymer Bach-Dokumente“ in: Bach-Jahrbuch 2003, hg. v. H.-J. Schulze und C. Wolff, Leipzig (Evangelische Verlagsanstalt) 2003, 173–196
„Johann Georg Pisendel und die von Bach erfundene Viola pomposa“ in: Weltmusik Bach. Almanach der Ansbacher Bachwoche 2005, Ansbach (AnsBACHwoche) 2005, 53–61
„Die Violine zur Zeit Johann Sebastian Bachs“, zurückgezogen aus: Bach-Handbuch 4, Die Orchester- und Kammermusik, hg. v. D. Sackmann, Laaber (Laaber) 2013, online veröffentlicht www.academia.edu 2016
„Das Violoncello zur Zeit Bachs – vom Ensemble- zum Soloinstrument“ in: Bach-Handbuch 4, Die Orchester- und Kammermusik, hg. v. D. Sackmann, Laaber (Laaber) 2013, 253–263

Source: The Artist (May 2020)
Contributed by Kai Köpp (May 2020)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Rolf Schweizer

Viola

Member of Barockorchester L'arpa festante:
[V-4] (2001): BWV 248/1-6

Recordings of Bach’s Instrumental Works

Conductor

As

Works

Arnold Östman

Viola

Member of Deutsche Händel-Solisten:
[O-1] (2000): Orchestral Suite No. 1 BWV 1066

Siebert Rampe

Viola

Member of Nova Stravaganza Köln
[O-1] (1993, 1995): Brandenburg Concerto Nos. 16 in F major, BWV 1046-1051; Concerto BWV 1050a; Concerto for flute, violin, harpsichord, strings & continuo ("Triple"), BWV 1044

Recordings of Arrangements/Transcriptions of Bach's Works

Links to other Sites

Kai Koepp (Academia)
Köpp Kai (P3)
Köpp, Kai: HKB Interpretation 2019 [German]
Kai Köpp (Discogs)
Kai Köpp (AMG)
Kai Köpp | Ensemble (Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe) [German]