Just like mountain climbers who strive to conquer the summits of high mountains, musicians also need challenges. The next summit that Pavel Šporcl has chosen to attempt is one that figuratively reaches to the heavens.

Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for violin solo have already put the technique and musicianship of quite a few violinists to the test. Violin compositions without a basso continuo accompaniment were in general rather unusual, and these works in particular, with their many layers of musical content, place great demands on the performer, who must achieve both technical mastery and a mental grasp of several parallel lines all at once – the melody, the chordal accompaniment, and often even thematic material assigned to inner voices.

The beautiful Ciaccona bringing the second Partita to a conclusion is among the most demanding works in the violin literature in terms of its length and its intricacy. Further increasing the already considerable challenge for the performer is the awareness that the first performer of these works was Bach himself.

We will never get to hear Bach play these works, but Pavel Šporcl’s interpretations will certainly be worthy of repeated listening for their technical refinement and stylistic purity, while also offering something personal and unique.

Recorded in the Church of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Prague, 2015.