Recomposition of Bach’s Chaconne BWV 1004.5

The violin is a very limited instrument in terms of harmonic and polyphonic possibilities. But Bach's magic wand is precisely linked to this limitation: in the Chaconne, it's almost impossible to separate the composer's imagination from its constraints. It's incredibly difficult to discern where Bach did something because he wanted to, and where because it was the only possible way. Almost the entire piece, with the exception of the chordal theme itself, is a sung-out harmony. What would Bach have written if he hadn't constantly had to delve into the violin's low notes to indicate the bass's movements? Certainly not only what we have now—both in the piece itself and in its many arrangements for polyphonic instruments.

The text must be reworked much more boldly, on equal terms with the composer. After all, what does truly historicizing even mean? You have to become a Baroque composer: once you borrow, parody (in the Baroque sense), you must return the material with additions—and in accordance with the capabilities of the instrument for which you are arranging. So I became a Baroque composer for three weeks. I became Bach, as much as I could.