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Bach: Plucked / Unplucked album cover

Album guide

Bach: Plucked / Unplucked

Violaine Cochard, Édouard Ferlet

Composer
J.S. Bach
Released
2015
Label
Alpha Classics
Forces
Harpsichord, Piano
Personnel
Violaine Cochard harpsichord, Édouard Ferlet piano

Violaine Cochard and Édouard Ferlet met during a radio programme after discovering that each had just made a Bach album, sometimes choosing the same pieces. The harpsichordist and jazz pianist were asked to play together and decided to keep going.

Ferlet composed most of the resulting music rather than simply arranging Bach. The title plays on the mechanics of their instruments: the piano’s hammers strike its strings, while the harpsichord plucks its own.

Hear both

The classical side contains only the source pieces used on the album, in album order. The jazz side presents the complete album whenever a dependable copy can be embedded.

The originalsJ.S. Bach · classical source works

The classical player repeats Bach’s Gigue from Partita No. 1 in B-flat, BWV 825, for tracks 1 and 9, since both pieces return to the same source; the other seven classical tracks have one recording each.

Jazzed upViolaine Cochard, Édouard Ferlet · 2015
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Source works

The album’s complete track listing, with each classical source identified and original compositions marked plainly.

  1. Je me souviens (After the Gigue of J. S. Bach’s Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825)Partita No. 1 in B-flat major, BWV 825: VI. Gigue
  2. Aparté (After the Arrangement by Alexander Siloti of J. S. Bach’s Prélude in E Minor, BWV 855)Prelude in E minor, BWV 855, in Alexander Siloti’s arrangement in B minor
  3. Utopia (After J. S. Bach’s Sinfonia No. 11 in G Minor, BWV 797)Sinfonia (Three-Part Invention) No. 11 in G minor, BWV 797
  4. Entre écorce (After J. S. Bach’s Sonata in D Minor, BWV 964)Keyboard Sonata in D minor, BWV 964
  5. Après vous (After the Allemande of J. S. Bach’s French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815)French Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 815: I. Allemande
  6. Phénix (After J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variation No. 20 in G Major, BWV 988)Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 20 a 2 Clav.
  7. À la suite de Jean (After the Prélude of J. S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007)Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007: Prélude
  8. St. Matthew Passion in E Minor, Pt. 2, BWV 244: 39. Erbarme dich - Transcription for Harpsichord and PianoSt Matthew Passion, BWV 244: ‘Erbarme dich, mein Gott’
  9. Je me souviens plus (After the Gigue of J. S. Bach’s Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825)Partita No. 1 in B-flat major, BWV 825: VI. Gigue
  10. Magnetic TangoOriginal composition by Édouard Ferlet