J.S. Bach: Partita No. 2, BWV 1004

1. Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: I. Allemande (Arr. for Electric Guitar)
2. Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: II. Courante (Arr. for Electric Guitar)
3. Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: III. Sarabande (Arr. for Electric Guitar)
4. Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: IV: Gigue (Arr. for Electric Guitar)
5. Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: V. Chaconne (Arr. for Electric Guitar)

This album was recorded in April of 2020 in New York City, during the Covid-19 global pandemic. The conception and creation of the album was a response to frustration and anxiety in the face of mass crisis and tragedy. This arrangement of BWV 1004 focuses on the harmonic layers hidden between the notes in Bach's music. It is the culmination of experimenting with electric guitar, effect pedals, and real-time processing while reading through Bach's cello suites and partitas for flute and violin. This kind of work was inspired by so many incredible risks that were taken before me, not the least of which being Immortal Bach, arranged by Norwegian composer Knut Kysdet in 1988. Other prominent inspiring performances include Noël Akchoté's treatment of the cantatas, Paolo Pandolfo's performance of the complete cello suites on viola da gamba, Ryuichi Sakamoto's collaboration with Vikingur Olafsson on BWV 974 (adagio), and Ben Russel's performance of BWV 1004, recorded in New York at The Crypt, Church of the Intercession. Each of these recordings acknowledges the dimensions of expression hidden in Bach's music by carefully treating each recording session, pushing boundaries in the post-production process, and honoring the physical spaces that expose the genius of this music.

Obvious liberties were taken with this recording of BWV 1004. In addition to the removal of the dry signal from the recording, tempos were also altered to expose specific structural (and often sequential) harmonies that are present in the background of this masterpiece.

The composition is filled with relentless emotion and pain, but this is perhaps most true of the fifth movement (chaconne). Bach composed the fifth movement upon losing his first wife, Maria Barbara, who died suddenly at the age of 35 — this partita was written in her memory. Although his grief is palpable, the fifth movement also offers a feeling of profound resilience in the face of severe tragedy. One might link this to Bach's modulation to the parallel major (the most profound statement of the major tonic in an otherwise heavily minor piece). This moment of resilience exemplifies Bach's extraordinary dimensionality, weaving hope within moments of angst and sorrow. Here we see profoundly human expressions on display that are transcendent of time and place.

Bach is known to make these connections to something deep and visceral that vanishes when we try to see it, and escapes us when we try to speak it. In times of struggle, he reminds us that there is something more mysterious than what we can explain, something more important than the ideologies that divide us, and something much greater than ourselves.

One function of this recording is to be used as a meditative tool. The processing that was done both in real-time and in post-production exposes moments of profound dissonance interwoven with harmonies that are stable, grounding, and hopeful. Allowing oneself to breathe with the dissonance, following it in and out of resolution, can provide healing and catharsis. The mind and the ear should stay present and focused on the sound throughout the entire listening experience. – Luke Schwartz

Some thoughts on Bach:

"...[Bach is] somebody who forged our culture at a deeper level than purely cerebral or philosophical and gives to our fragmented lives a gravitas, a high seriousness, a sense of significance that takes us beyond the muddled presence and helps us to touch something timeless and eternal... he is able to articulate these feelings, these yearnings, these huge moments of pathos that enable us to relate to something greater than ourselves." – Karen Armstrong (writer)

"What sets Bach apart from all his contemporaries and makes him unique in the history of music was his ability to integrate the most dissonant expressive harmonies into a very basic consonant background so that we have this combination of stability and very extraordinary expressivity." – Charles Rosen (pianist)

"...Bach is the one that bridges the gap. He helps us to hear the voice of God but in human form, ironing out the imperfections of humanity in the perfection of his music."
– John Eliot Gardiner (conductor)