Johann Sebastian Bach: Sei Solo

Violinist James Stern is a multi-faceted musician whose performances have been heard worldwide. Noted by the Washington Post for his "virtuosity and penetrating intelligence," he is known for his innovative programming that includes performing in multiple capacities (as violist, pianist, conductor, reciter, and arranger), and providing program annotations that are integral to the performance. His numerous recordings can be heard on the Albany Records, Bridge, Centaur, CRI, Dorian/Sono Luminus, Enharmonic, New Focus, and New World labels. This recording of the six sonatas and partitas of Bach reinforces his advocacy of this music as a single, unified work bolstered by multiple experiences of performing the entire cycle in a single live concert. The sonatas and partitas are presented in the order that Bach did and this facilitates simulation of the concert experience for the listener. The title of this recording comes from Bach's title on the manuscript, Sei Solo. Interpreted by some to mean Six Solos, which assumes that Bach was grammatically incorrect with the Italian (solo instead of soli), it is suggested that the title is actually a pun on the word sei, which can mean either six or you are -- hence the choice of You Are Alone.