Bach - Chaconne - live session by Pieter van Loenen

Exactly when Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) wrote his set of six sonatas and partitas for solo violin is unknown, but we do know it was finished in 1720. This cycle is sometimes considered to be "the Himalayas of violinists" (in the words of Georges Enescu); if so, then the indisputable Mount Everest would be the Chaconne, the last movement of the 2nd Partita in D minor. It has been suggested Bach wrote this movement in memory of his first wife, Maria Barbara Bach, who passed away in 1720. Yehudi Menuhin called the Chaconne "the greatest structure for solo violin that exists"; Joshua Bell has said that the Chaconne is "not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history. It's a spiritually powerful piece, emotionally powerful, structurally perfect."

Live performance by Pieter van Loenen on 19/1/2019 in Leeuwenbergherk, Utrecht, The Netherlands