Johann Sebastian Bach: Suite Nr.1 in G Major, BWV 1007: Clarinette Basse

It was 1995 when I had the fortune to listen to the freshly published recording of the suites performed by Mstislav Rostropovich. I would have given anything to be able to play them, and this was what inspired me to study the bass clarinet. The series of diverse emotions which I subsequently experienced made me see Music in a completely new way. I began learning them slowly, inevitably adapting the text. As I discovered their educational value, the knowledge of harmonic structures, forms and stylistic features gradually evolved within me. Over 20 years I have studied various editions and listened to the meaning which these suites have had for many famous performers. Ipleasantly discovered the commendable work of other clarinettists who in turn have dedicated themselves to approaching this composer with the bass clarinet. The objective of this version isn’t to impose conditions on how to play the suites. We carried out unique research into the coherence of the text, based on the manuscripts of Anna Magdalena Bach and Johann Peter Kellner. The choice to remove any type of articulation and agogic was made in order to encourage the development of personal interpretation, which obviously requires a fundamental investigation of the sources. This edition comes with 4 versions of the suite. The reason behind producing four versions (which are in different keys and tones) is because every musician has their own tastes and tendencies. Personally, I prefer the bass clef transposed to B flat because I find the bass clef to be the most appropriate for the spirit of the low instrument.