Air on the G string, Pastorale, Sinfonia

as recorded by David Russell on “The Grandeur of the Baroque” (Telarc 33223-02)
Another lesson in the art of transcription from David Russell. Three pieces: Air on a G string BWV 1068, Pastorale BWV 590 and Sinfonia BWV 156, which in Russell's hands are reborn on the guitar. These are masterly transcriptions, but to produce the effortless cantabile and seamless harmonic movement they need to be played by a master such as Russell. That said there is so much to be learnt and enjoyed from these transcriptions, just remember that you are working to produce a musical entity, it isn't enough just to be able to get from start to finish. So the benefits of these editions can be enormous, they just need patience and total care and attention from the player. For me this isn't about being able to play these pieces, it's about the joy of working on them, I just don't want that to end: John Arran (Classical Guitar Magazine)