David Russell Plays Bach

1	Prelude, Fugue and Allegr
2	Prelude, Fugue and Allegr
3	Prelude, Fugue and Allegr
4	Wachet auf, ruft uns die
5	Partita for solo violin N
6	Partita for solo violin N
7	Partita for solo violin N
8	Partita for solo violin N
9	Partita for solo violin N
10	Partita for lute in E maj
11	Partita for lute in E maj
12	Partita for lute in E maj
13	Partita for lute in E maj
14	Partita for lute in E maj
15	Partita for lute in E maj
16	Work(s): [Unspecified] Ch
David Russell Plays Bach
1.	Prelude, Fugue and Allegro for lute (or keyboard) in E flat major, BWV 998 13:01
	Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Performed by David Russell
	Additional Notes: arranged by Russell, David
2.	Chorale prelude for organ ("Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), (Schübler No. 1), BWV 645 5:05
	Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Performed by David Russell
	Additional Notes: arranged by Russell, David
3.	Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 27:18
	Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Performed by David Russell
	Additional Notes: arranged by Russell, David
4.	Partita for lute in E major, BWV 1006a 18:59
	Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Performed by David Russell
	Additional Notes: arranged by Russell, David
5.	Work(s): [Unspecified] Chorale Prelude "Jesus bleibet meine 3:45
	Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Performed by David Russell
	Additional Notes: arranged by Russell, David

Barnes & Noble

Bach's Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro (BWV 998) sounds almost Spanish the way David Russell plays it. Forgoing the ascetic interpretive style adopted by many guitarists in this repertory, Russell dips into an unusually broad palette of tonal colors, and the lyrical lilt he gives to the music creates a distinctly folksy flavor. Then, in the opening Allemande and Courante of the D Minor Partita (BWV 1004 -- originally for solo violin and arranged here by Russell), the rhythms strut so provocatively and with such improvisatory flair that one even hears faint echoes of flamenco. Yet Russell's performances certainly don't violate the spirit of Bach's music: He is always -- even in his fiercest moments -- a sensitive and tasteful stylist. And how refreshing it is to hear these works played with such well-delineated character and depth of feeling. There is real joy in the ornate Preludio of the E Major Suite (BWV 1006a), for example, and the great Chaconne of the D Minor Partita is so intensely dramatic it takes on the gripping monumentality of a Sophoclean tragedy. The program is filled out with Russell's transcriptions of two well-known chorale preludes: "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (BWV 645) and "Jesus bleibet meine Freude" ("Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"). There's at least another disc's worth of Bach's music that's suitable for the guitar -- let's hope that Russell doesn't wait long to give us a second volume. Andrew Farach-Colton

All Music Guide

As David Russell demonstrates, Bach, who wrote no music for the guitar, sounds like a guitarist's composer. Not only does Bach's lute music translate well into the related but distinct sonic world of the guitar, but even transcriptions of music for other instruments -- including violin, cello, and keyboard -- sound quite authentic in the hands of a virtuoso guitarist. While the reason for this may be the abstract quality of Bach's music, it should be pointed out that it takes a special kind of guitarist to deliver an authentic, convincing performance of Bach. Russell is among those who know how to play Bach. Thoughtful, subtle, elegantly expressive, and stylistically accurate, Russell's playing ingeniously adapts the characteristic sonority of the guitar to the technical and interpretive demand of Bach's music. A fine example of Russell's ability to capture the complex and profound spirit of Bach's music is his authoritative performance of the astonishing chaconne from his own transcription of the "Partita for solo violin in D minor." Russell's performance fully reveals the lyricism, passion, and spiritual depth of the chaconne. The "Partita" is an opulent work and Russell approaches each movement as a distinct stylistic challenge, intuitively responding to the spirit and atmosphere of each dance movement. Equally impressive is Russell's rendition of an arrangement of the "Lute Suite No. 4," which is Bach's transcription of his luminous "Partita for violin in E major." In fact, it is tempting to say that Russell's scintillating playing, particularly in the first movement, approximates the sonic brilliance of the original. This album includes the "Prelude, Allegro & Fugue for lute" played with exquisite taste, as well as chorales from two well-known cantatas: "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" and "Jesus bleibeit meine Freude," widely known as "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Zoran Minderovic

Gramophone

David Russell excels in the extended pieces where his low-key style, elegant phrasing and moderate speeds lead deceptively but inevitably to a sort of compassionate musical involvement. Laurence Vittes