{"id":124313,"date":"2026-05-15T13:02:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=124313"},"modified":"2026-05-15T14:00:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T18:00:02","slug":"interview-violinist-shunske-sato-talks-beethoven-bologne-bach-tafelmusik-concert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/05\/15\/interview-violinist-shunske-sato-talks-beethoven-bologne-bach-tafelmusik-concert\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Violinist Shunske Sato Talks Beethoven, Bologne & Bach Before His Tafelmusik Concert"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Shunske
Shunske Sato (Photo: Eduardus Lee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For its final presentation for the 2025-2026 season, Tafelmusik<\/strong> is featuring the distinguished violinist Shunske Sato<\/strong> in a concert devoted to the French Revolution. Sato will conduct Beethoven\u2019s \u201cEroica\u201d Symphony No. 3, inspired by France\u2019s newly embraced democratic ideals, and perform as a soloist on the acclaimed 18th century French Black composer Joseph Bologne\u2019s Violin Concerto. The program will begin with Gossec\u2019s historic piece Le triomphe de la R\u00e9publique.<\/p>\n

Ludwig Van\u2019s correspondent Marc Glassman interviewed Sato via Zoom in San Francisco, where he was appearing in a masterclass for upcoming Baroque musicians.<\/p>\n

Shunske Sato<\/h2>\n

Shunske Sato, now in his early 40s, is one of the most acclaimed musicians of his generation. Trained at Juilliard, Curtis and the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, Sato departed his native Tokyo when he was three and has dedicated his life to music.<\/p>\n

The winner of the Young Concert Artists Prize when he was 12, Sato has played with such prestigious ensembles as the NHK Symphony Orchestra, State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Omsk Academy Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, Gulbenkian Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony.<\/p>\n

Sato has achieved his greatest acclaim thus far with the Netherlands Bach Society orchestra, where he appointed concertmaster in January 2013. In May 2017, he became the artistic director of the Society, a position he maintained until May 2023. During that decade, he recorded Bach\u2019s Violin Partitas, Sonatas and Concertos with notable success. The Bach Society has praised Sato\u2019s work for its distillation of the great composer\u2019s \u201cgenuine, authentic, human, and divine…\u201d musical powers.<\/p>\n

Though his appreciation for Bach is undiminished, Sato\u2019s repertoire includes Beethoven, Telemann, Haydn, Mozart, Vivaldi \u2014 and even goes as far as Grieg and Poulenc. A self-described nerd, he is clearly a thoughtful and informed individual.<\/p>\n

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Shunske Sato (Photo: Eduardus Lee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shunske Sato: The Interview<\/h2>\n

LV: Marc Glassman for Ludwig Van
\nSS: Shunske Sato<\/p>\n

On Being a Soloist and a Conductor<\/h3>\n

LV:<\/strong> You’re a violinist but you also conduct. How can you divide your attention between being a soloist and leading an orchestra?<\/p>\n

SS:<\/strong> More and more I\u2019m seeing it as simply pieces of the same fabric. If I\u2019m going to be playing a violin concerto, it is very satisfying when I know my part in the context of the whole piece. I mean, right down to the lesser parts, the viola or the second bassoon. There’s always something to be found which enriches your experience of playing the solo part. It’s also really fun when you can share the whole thing with everybody, not just delivering your part.<\/p>\n

Beethoven Violin Sonata 9, op. 47, \u2018Kreutzer\u2019 | Shunske Sato, violin; Shuann Chai, fortepiano, 2024:<\/p>\n