J.S. Bach: Complete Lute Music

No more than a handful of pieces represent the entire musical heritage for baroque lute by Johann Sebastian Bach – not a lot when we consider the enormity of the composer’s total output. Although it is not known whether Bach himself played the instrument, the seven works which are ascribable to it continue to enjoy extraordinary attention on the part of musicians due to their exceptional quality, and indeed the majority originate from the areas of Germany that were home to the lute’s greatest exponents – musicians who we can be almost certain the composer came into contact with.

This recording thus presents four compositions in suite form and three pieces of a different nature, all belonging to the florid repertoire of the courtly Salonmusik that was in vogue among the German upper classes at the time. Performing them is acclaimed Italian lutenist Mario D’Agosto, whose changes in tonality aim to better serve the capacities of the instrument (BWV 996 and 997, for instance, were written for the ‘Lautenwerk’, a sort of lute-harpsichord favoured by Bach) and whose embellishments are testament to the high level of ornamentation which played such an intrinsic role in baroque performance practice.

Online purchase or streaming (Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Google Play): https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/BachCompleteLute
More Information: https://www.brilliantclassics.....com/articles/j/js-ba
Brilliant Classics Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brilliantclassics
Brilliant Classics’ Spotify:
https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/Spotify
Spotify playlist:Most Popular Piano Music
https://brilliant-classics.lnk.to/MostPopularPiano

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Artist: Mario D'Agosto (lute)

00:00:00 Suite in E Minor, BWV 996: I. Prelude
00:03:11 Suite in E Minor, BWV 996: II. Allemande
00:06:25 Suite in E Minor, BWV 996: III. Courante
00:09:03 Suite in E Minor, BWV 996: IV. Sarabande
00:13:02 Suite in E Minor, BWV 996: V. Bourrée
00:14:43 Suite in E Minor, BWV 996: VI. Gigue
00:18:09 Prelude, fugue and allegro in E-Flat Major, BWV 998: I. Prelude
00:21:13 Prelude, fugue and allegro in E-Flat Major, BWV 998: II. Fugue
00:28:00 Prelude, fugue and allegro in E-Flat Major, BWV 998: III. Allegro
00:32:18 Suite in G Minor, BWV 995: I. Prelude
00:38:15 Suite in G Minor, BWV 995: II. Allemande
00:43:20 Suite in G Minor, BWV 995: III. Courante
00:45:48 Suite in G Minor, BWV 995: IV. Sarabande
00:49:18 Suite in G Minor, BWV 995: V. Gavottes I & II ‘en Rondeau’
00:54:05 Suite in G Minor, BWV 995: VI. Gigue
00:56:37 Partita in C Minor, BWV 997: I. Prelude
01:00:28 Partita in C Minor, BWV 997: II. Fugue
01:08:08 Partita in C Minor, BWV 997: III. Sarabande
01:12:31 Partita in C Minor, BWV 997: IV. Gigue - Double
01:16:01 Partita in E Major, BWV 1006a: I. Prelude
01:20:47 Partita in E Major, BWV 1006a: II. Loure
01:23:55 Partita in E Major, BWV 1006a: III. Gavotte ‘en Rondeau’
01:27:31 Partita in E Major, BWV 1006a: IV. Menuets I & II
01:32:54 Partita in E Major, BWV 1006a: V. Bourrée
01:35:19 Partita in E Major, BWV 1006a: VI. Gigue
01:38:09 Prelude in C Minor, BWV 999
01:39:47 Fugue in G Minor, BWV 1000