Format: CD
Barcode: 0608917200591
Catalog number: CC 720059
Releasedate: 06-11-26
- Features newly created preludes, doubles and variations in Bach’s own musical language
- Performed on a rare historical cello transcription of Bach’s Violin Partita No. 1
- First Prize winner of the 2024 Bach International Competition in Leipzig
- A fresh, living perspective on Bach that bridges three centuries of musical tradition
With Improvised Bach, cellist Víctor García García invites listeners into the living, breathing world of Johann Sebastian Bach, where composition, performance and improvisation were once inseparable arts. Centred around Bach’s Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin—performed here in a rare historical cello transcription—the album reimagines the composer’s music through newly improvised preludes, doubles and ornamented repeats, all rooted in Bach’s original harmonic language while revealing fresh expressive possibilities. In 2024 Victor was awarded First Prize at the Bach International Competition in Leipzig. He is a Professor of Historical Cello at the HKU Utrecht Conservatorium and also in Scotland's St.Andrews University. Research is an important part of his work besides his musicianship.
Rather than treating Bach’s masterpieces as untouchable monuments, Victor García García approaches them as a vibrant musical language that continues to evolve in performance.. Drawing inspiration from eighteenth-century improvisational practice, each improvised piece becomes a musical dialogue across three centuries, capturing the spontaneity of the moment while remaining deeply faithful to Bach’s style. The result is a compelling recording gives listeners the opportunity to hear familiar works with renewed curiosity, imagination and wonder.
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1Improvised Prelude in E Minor, after J. S. Bach's Prelude in E Minor01:40
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2Partita No. 1 for violin, BWV 1002 (transcribed for cello)I. Allemanda05:55
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3Partita No. 1 for violin, BWV 1002 (transcribed for cello)II. Double03:34
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4Partita No. 1 for violin, BWV 1002 (transcribed for cello)III. Corrente03:05
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5Partita No. 1 for violin, BWV 1002 (transcribed for cello)IV. Double - Presto04:21
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6Partita No. 1 for violin, BWV 1002 (transcribed for cello)V. Sarabande04:26
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7Partita No. 1 for violin, BWV 1002 (transcribed for cello)VI. Double03:17
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8Partita No. 1 for violin, BWV 1002 (transcribed for cello)VII. Tempo di Borea02:17
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9Partita No. 1 for violin, BWV 1002 (transcribed for cello)VIII. Double02:30
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10Suite No. 1 in G Major for cello, BWV 1007I. Prélude02:23
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11Suite No. 1 in G Major for cello, BWV 1007II. Allemande04:46
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12Improvised Double – Allemande, after J. S. Bach's Suite No. 1 in G Major for Cello, BWV 1007/205:55
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13Suite No. 3 in C Major for cello, BWV 1009III. Courante05:52
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14Improvised Double – Courante, after J. S. Bach's Suite No. 3 in C Major for cello, BWV 1009/302:50
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15Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major for cello, BWV 1010IV. Sarabande03:48
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16Improvised Double – Sarabande, after J. S. Bach's Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major for cello, BWV 1010/403:21
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17Suite No. 3 in C Major for cello, BWV 1009V. Bourrées I - II - Improvised da capo04:27
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18Suite No. 2 in D Minor for cello, BWV 1008IV. Menuett I - II - Improvised da capo03:31
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19Improvised Double – Gigue, after J. S. Bach's Suite No. 2 in D Minor for cello, BWV 1008/702:09
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20Suite No. 2 in D Minor for cello, BWV 1008VII. Gigue02:25

