Bach To Rock: Alex Prizgintas on the Electric Cello

Alex Prizgintas’s maiden voyage of electric cello concerts last year started with a program called “Bach to Rock”—now shortened to “B-2-R.” It apparently hit a nerve and resulted in more than seventy bookings for that first year—a number that has since grown to an average of 130 yearly. “Some of my favorite additions include the Baroque cello suites of J.S. Bach, Latin tangos such as Astor Piazzolla’s “Libertango,” and opera selections like Donizetti’s “Una Furtiva Lagrima” and Verdi’s “La Donna Mobile” says Alex. “I enjoy the lyricism of opera especially when contrasted by the counterpoint of jazz by masters like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie and Dave Brubeck. And then, there are times where I stray towards the rebellion of the mid-to-late 60’s British Invasion with groups like Cream, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Procol Harum, The Kinks, and The Zombies—to name just a few.” With each performance, Alex strives to communicate–not only with the cello but with the back-stories that reveal interesting facts about each selection. “I have three rock selections with personal ties to Jimi Hendrix, an explanation about Bach’s Preludes to each cello suite and where Dave Brubeck found inspiration for ‘Blue Rondo a la Turk,’ just to name a few. Along with the tunes, my goal is to build a better understanding and a deeper relationship with my audiences.”

The unique sound of Alex Prizgintas and his amplified cello will be part of the Hendrick Hudson Library in Montrose on Sunday, May 5th at 2:00 AM. Classically trained, he employs non-classical tools like distortion, delay, and the iconic “wah-wah” guitar pedals symbolic of 1960s Rock n’ Roll bands–all in conjunction with a looping station. Equally comfortable with intimate and stadium settings, Alex is able to craft his own wall-of-sound through his 1,000 watt amp. Accompanied with a narration that reveal some of the back stories of baroque, jazz, folk, and Rock n’ Roll classics, he immerses his audience in a journey through musical history. Please register for this program on the library’s website.