Bach has been recorded, re-recorded and then re-done, re-worked and re-recorded again. But never have I heard such an arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor as this on Nemanja Radulovic’s latest album. I’ve heard this work done for wind band, piano and many unlikely combinations, but this particular arrangement is engaging and uses all the string instruments to their full potential in a fascinating new prism through which to experience Bach’s most famous work. Along with new arrangements of the Chaconne and Air on a G String, this is also Radulovic’s debut as a viola soloist.

In the early twentieth century, two brothers made many ‘startling’ discoveries of lost works of some of the great composers, including Johann Christian Bach’s Viola Concerto. However not all was as it seemed, as it turns out these brothers, Henri and Marius Casadesus were writing the works themselves in the style of their purported composers. Although complete frauds, this does not detract from the interesting compositional take they had on the style of the period. Before I did my research I thought there was something odd but interesting about this concerto and now I know why and it’s worth visiting.

Kate Rockstrom