Fullana/Chen - Bach's Long Shadow

Spanish-American violinist Francisco Fullana has taken the Partita No. 3 in E by J.S. Bach and built around it a programme of interlinked yet contrasting works, resulting in an original and intricately constructed album. J.S. Bach�s output has had a far-reaching impact, casting the Long Shadow that gives this album its name. Fullana uses gut strings, a baroque bow and historically informed ornamentation for his performance of Bach�s E minor Partita, creating a pared-down, immediate interpretation. Ysa�e was inspired to write his Op. 27 Sonatas after hearing Bach�s Sonatas and Partitas. Yet whereas Bach�s music demands restraint from the performer, Ysa�e�s encourages virtuosity. There is darkness in this Sonata, too, and Fullana performs the work with electrifying energy. Fritz Kreisler�s Recitativo & Scherzo was dedicated to Ysa�e, and Fullana feels a special kinship with Kreisler: he plays Kreisler�s first Guarneri violin, the 1735 �Mary Portman� Guarneri del Ges�. The recital culminates in Ysa�e�s Sonata for Two Violins. Ysa�e wrote the work to perform with Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, who gave her name to a violin competition that was most recently won by violinist Stella Chen, Fullana�s duo partner on this album.