Classical guitarist Slava Grigoryan’s latest solo recording completes his already highly-acclaimed traversal of Johann Sebastian Bach’s six suites for unaccompanied cello as transcribed for baritone guitar. Again, we find him in Mt Barker’s extraordinary UKARIA Cultural Centre, performing on a mellow-toned Jim Redgate double-top baritone from 2011.

 

The baritone guitar is tuned a fifth lower than the standard classical guitar, enabling Bach’s cello suites to be performed in their original keys. However, the sixth suite has a higher tessitura and was therefore thought to have been written for a higher-pitched instrument such as the cello piccolo. Grigoryan naturally performs this suite on a standard classical guitar (another Redgate); the combination of the D Major key and the brighter sound makes for a luminous end not...