Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1 Chris Thile

• J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001
• 1 I. Adagio 03:57
• 2 II. Fuga: Allegro 04:17
• 3 III. Siciliana 03:13
• 4 IV. Presto 03:22
• J.S. Bach: Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002
• 5 I. Allemanda 05:15
• 6 II. Double 04:58
• 7 III. Corrente 02:50
• 8 IV. Double: Presto 02:56
• 9 V. Sarabande 02:40
• 10 VI. Double 02:40
• 11 VII. Tempo di Borea 02:43
• 12 VIII. Double 02:44
• J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003
• 13 I. Grave 04:46
• 14 II. Fuga 06:43
• 15 III. Andante 05:42
• 16 IV. Allegro 05:21
• Total Runtime 01:04:07

Info for Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1

Mandolin virtuoso and MacArthur Fellow Chris Thile, new album is featuring Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1 comprises three works written for solo violin: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001; Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002; and Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003. Thile will perform works by Bach in solo recitals this fall; see below for details. The album—which was produced by Thile’s friend, mentor, and frequent collaborator, the double bassist and composer Edgar Meyer.

Thile explains his connection to the composer: “Bach was my first meaningful experience with—for lack of a better word—classical music. It was the second recording of Glenn Gould playing the Goldberg Variations. Gould plays with the kind of rhythmic integrity that I had previously only associated with non-classical music: music with a groove, with a pocket, that made you move. Gould was playing that music like my heroes play fiddle tunes. It humanized the whole thing for me and the heavens opened up and Bach came down. I started devouring all the Bach I could get my hands on.”

He continues, “This record to me is not about this iconic violin music played on the mandolin—like, ‘Oh boy, what fun, he’s playing a weird instrument!’ It's about Bach being one of the greatest musicians of all time, the solo violin music being some of his best work, and the mandolin having the potential to cast it in a new and hopefully interesting light."

Chris Thile, whom London’s Independent calls “the most remarkable mandolinist in the world,” is the founding member and lead vocalist of Punch Brothers. With broad influences including progressive bluegrass, classical, rock, and jazz, Thile transcends the borders of conventionally circumscribed genres, creating a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic.

Chris Thile, mandolin

Chris Thile
of Punch Brothers, has changed the mandolin forever, elevating it from its origins as a relatively simple folk and bluegrass instrument to the sophistication and brilliance of the finest jazz improvisation and classical performance. For more than 15 years, Thile played in the wildly popular band Nickel Creek, with which he released three albums, sold two million records, and was awarded a Grammy in 2002. Recently, Nonesuch Records released the Grammy–nominated Sleep with One Eye Open, an impassioned collaboration/conversation between Thile and guitarist Michael Daves, in which the upstart duo acknowledges the history and tradition of bluegrass while exuberantly defying convention. Thile also recently collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma for The Goat Rodeo Sessions. As a soloist he has released four albums, as well as performing and recording extensively as a duo with double bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer and with fellow eminent mandolinist Mike Marshall. He has also collaborated with a pantheon of musical innovators from multiple genres including Bela Fleck, Dolly Parton, the Dixie Chicks, Brad Mehldau, Hilary Hahn, and Gabe Kahane. Punch Brothers released their new album, Who’s Feeling Young Now?, February 14, 2012, on Nonesuch Records. Completed over three weeks at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, the record was produced by Grammy Award winner Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, Modest Mouse). Thile’s previous Carnegie Hall performances include a performance with Punch Brothers in 2009 and the New York premiere of his four movement suite The Blind Leaving the Blind in 2007.

Booklet for Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1