If you love guitar and haven’t had a chance to listen to a classical guitar performance of Bach’s Chaconne, I highly encourage you to do so. It has been my favorite piece for a long time. There are dozens of recordings of this popular guitar piece out there and I’ve listened to a good number of them. All the great classical guitarists, John Williams, Eliot Fisk, Julian Bream, Barrueco, Verdery, on and on have recorded the piece at some point in time. Maybe some day, I will record a version of this great piece myself. Although I’ve learned to play the Chaconne, being able to present a high-quality performance for all 14 minutes is currently a challenge for me.
Although I enjoy the guitar versions of the Chaconne, it was originally written for violin as part of the Partita #2 for violin (BWV 1004). In fact, it is also a worth while exercise to listen to the violin version of the piece too. If you enjoy the Chaconne, you more than likely will also enjoy the other four sections of the Partita (roughly 34 minutes in total). Many of Bach’s works for solo cello and violin have been transcribed for guitar and are quite popular.
Some classically trained violinists and guitarists consider the Chaconne to be the greatest piece of music ever written. That's a pretty large statement. What I enjoy about the piece is how it is structured from beginning to end, having numerous ebbs and flows throughout, and requiring technique that is both highly complex and simple and refined.
Have a listen and let me know if you agree…
Mark Teicholz performs the Chaconne on guitar:
Full Partita #2 Violin recording by Itzhak Perlman – the Chaconne starts around he 13:50 mark:
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Peace,
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