I’d had grand plans to perform the complete cycle of Bach’s solo violin works a few years ago, at one point having a luxurious month and a half with nothing to do but practise them, but realised at the end of that time that it was going to take significantly longer to prepare the whole saga for a one-day marathon.

Kristian Winther, Winther's Bach, Canberra International Music FestivalKristian Winther. Photo © Anthony Browell

Roland Peelman asked me halfway through last year if it was something I’d be interested in doing at the Canberra International Music Festival in 2019, and since I’d already made a start, it seemed a perfect opportunity.

Violinists tend to play Bach’s solo works reasonably early on in their development. I think I played some of the E Major Partita when I was 12 or 13. One’s style changes over time (hopefully). Obviously with Baroque music in general there are a lot of things one can learn about the performance techniques and approaches that were utilised in early 18th-century string music. This knowledge is massively important. But really, the best teacher is Bach and his music. The extraordinary range of...