Chris Thile’s Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1
Greetings folks,
You may have caught wind of this if you follow Chris Thile on Twitter or Facebook, but we're excited to now officially announce Chris's first recording of one of his favorite composers of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1. will be released August 6th on Nonesuch and is currently available for pre-order!
Produced by Edgar Meyer and recorded/mixed by Richard King, Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1 comprises three works written for solo violin: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, Partita No. 1 in B minor, and Sonata No. 2 in A minor.
Here's a bit about the record in Thile's own words: “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.”
“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."
Pre-orderBach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1 today and you'll receive an instant download of Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001: II. Fuga: Allegro (which you can listen to below).
We're also offering a special pre-order bundle featuring an exclusive print of the album art by Oliver Jeffers and the first 500 people to order the bundle will have their print signed by Chris.
And a quick reminder that Punch Brothers will be out on the road in various arrangements this summer and fall (including this weekend in Telluride); you can check out the latest dates on the tour page and stayed tuned next week for some new additions.
Best,
Punch Brothers HQ