It’s likely that most serious and accomplished musicians would not aspire to have their performances described for a prospective listener as undemanding, or ideal for creating a mood of quiet relaxation, but in fact that’s just what defines this wonderful exhibition of Bach transcriptions by guitarist Graham Anthony Devine. The transcriptions, which are the guitarist’s own, show exactly the kind of sensitivity to the original works as well as a guitar master’s understanding of the instrument’s capabilities and unique voicing opportunities that gives freshness and vibrancy to works we’ve heard before but haven’t given thought to beyond their organ, cello, violin, or keyboard incarnations. Devine doesn’t just give us yet another venture through the cello suites or violin sonatas and partitas; he does give us a couple of those, but also leads us happily through organ and keyboard pieces that are perfectly chosen and adaptable to this medium.
There’s no question as to Devine’s command of technique and material; the fluidity of his fingering, all the while maintaining clarity of contrapuntal lines and passagework, free of the squeaks and scrapes we often hear on guitar recordings, is a joy to hear, as is the full-bodied tone of his instrument, very well captured in the acoustics of a West Sussex church. There are no interpretive insights here—that’s really not the point; rather we just get the soothing, warm-blooded intimacy of a well-played guitar in consistently refined, relaxing performances.
While the performances of the Cello Suite No. 4 and Violin Partita No. 2 are very impressively done, you won’t mind at all hearing Devine’s rendition of the über-popular chorale from cantata BWV 147 (“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”) or the lovely aria “Bist du bei mir”. Again, this is the sort of recording that both guitar aficionados and those who rarely consider such things will thoroughly enjoy, a disc that offers nothing radical or even original—just pure beauty of sound and melody, expertly articulated and vividly, caringly interpreted, joining some of Bach’s most compelling music with an instrument ideally suited for its expression. We don’t recommend a lot of guitar discs here, but this one rates a solid one, both for its musical values and, yes, for its promise of undemanding yet repeatedly rewarding listening.
