Dorothea Hofmann

Lettere di Anna

Anna Bon di Venezia was a harpsichordist, singer, and composer, a contemporary of Joseph Haydn, whom she knew. Trained in Venice, she is known to have lived in Bayreuth, Dresden, and Esterháza, after which she disappears into the mists of history. Several flute and harpsichord sonatas have survived, as well as an aria titled "Astra Coeli": Stars of the Sky. My sonata draws on motifs from this aria and carries their story forward, like letters from a journey through time. Thus the melodies and rhythms transform until, in the end, the music—and with it Anna—dances out of our sight once more, "ad astra"—toward the stars. (Dorothea Hofmann)