My favourite Bach fugue, on a remarkable violin. For five years, it was my privilege to work on a wonderful violin which had been played by the great Joseph Joachim. The last project which I recorded on this instrument was the Bach cycle, from which this an unedited extract. These recordings were never mastered nor released, ironically, because the adventure of bringing them to the studio coincided with a change of direction in my approach to the early 18th century (this was nothing to do with questions of style). There is no question, however that I felt the presence of the previous owner of the violin on my shoulder, most particularly playing this beloved fugue.
