Bach: Sonatas & Partitas

Featuring

Tedi Papavrami
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Instruments

Tedi Papavrami performs on a violin made by Christian Bayon in Lisbon in 2015, using a bow by Jean Marie Persoit from Paris, circa 1830.

Compositional Technique

While writing for violin without a ground bass was not new, Bach was the first to elevate it to such high levels of compositional and performance virtuosity.

Recording & Production

This recording was made in October 2020 at the Arsenal / Cité musicale-Metz, a prestigious concert hall reinvented by Ricardo Bofill from a 19th-century military arsenal.

Interpretation

Tedi Papavrami, the violinist on this recording, has adopted a radical approach, largely renouncing vibrato and other common flamboyant effects to focus on phrasing and sound.

Composer Biography

Bach, a highly esteemed violinist himself, likely performed these solo violin pieces.

Composition History

The manuscript for Bach's Sei solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato dates from 1720, a period when Bach was exploring instrumental composition while serving the Prince of Anhalt-Cöthen.

Compositional Technique

Bach's 'senza basso' writing for these violin sonatas and partitas, which denies the comfort of a bass part, was an immense challenge for the composer.