For this recording, the Academy's Principal Jonathan Freeman-Attwood commissioned Academy alum Thomas Oehler to re-imagine three of Bach’s most celebrated keyboard Partitas, with the challenge of bringing a fresh perspective to some of Bach’s most elegant and refined keyboard writing. Thomas graduated from the Academy in 2008 having studied Composition, and has previously collaborated with Jonathan on publishing a Sonata ‘after Richard Strauss’ for Boosey and Hawkes, recorded for Linn Records as part of The Viennese Trumpet.
In March 2023, the re-imaginings of these works received their world premiere in a concert at the Academy. Under the direction of Academy Chamber Orchestra Principal Conductor Trevor Pinnock, students from the Academy and Toronto's Glenn Gould School came together for this performance and subsequently recorded the works in London. We are delighted that the recording is now available as both a physical and digital release on Linn Records.
Bach Partitas re-imagined for small orchestra was produced by Jonathan Freeman-Attwood. This follows on from the recording he produced in 2022 with violinist Rachel Podger, Tutta Sola, which won BBC Music Magazines' 'Recording of the Year 2023'.
For two centuries the Academy has inspired generations of musicians to connect, collaborate and create, and has placed a great importance on international collaboration. This recording of Bach Partitas continues this mission, which in 2020 saw Trevor Pinnock and students from the Academy and the Glenn Gould School collaborate on a recording of arrangements of Bach's Goldberg Variations. This is now the sixth recording the Academy has made on Linn Records with Trevor Pinnock, and continues our 25-year-long commitment to providing our students with recording opportunities.
Below you can watch an excerpt of the Partita No 5 in G, filmed at the concert in which the world premieres of these works took place.
