Bach: Complete Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo (reissue)

Recorded in 1997 and 1998 and released in 1999 as Rachel Podger's seminal solo debut albums, J. S. Bach's complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin are re-released today. Hailed at the time by The Irish Times as "Clearly, a violinist to watch out for," Podger more than fulfilled that early promise. In approaching these works, Podger sought to find "the language of these works, to understand their complexity, to search for the meaning in every phrase... and finally come out the other end with something clear and beautiful."

More than 300 years after their composition, Bach's Sonatas and Partitas continue to astonish performers and listeners alike: a piece of wood, a few strings and a bow, and an almost unbelievable world of expression. As Podger observes, "Every note and expression has its rightful place and nothing ever seems too elaborate or deprived of something or too intense. The music flows with a confidence that balances our intellectual, emotional and spiritual interests."