J.S. Bach Violin Concertos: Transcribed for Cello
- Violin Concerto in A Minor BWV 1041
- Violin Concerto in E Major BWV 1042
- Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor BWV 1043
The cello transcriptions for these concertos are in the original key. This means that they are much more difficult, much more virtuosic, to play on the cello than on the violin. For cellists, they require a real concerto technique not only because they are concertos but also because on the cello they use a real concerto (higher) register. Being in the same key as the violin (but an octave lower), we never go below our low G but do need to go up to our high G, almost two octaves above our open A-string
The only reason that I recorded them was to make sure that they are actually playable on the cello. They are, but we will need to use our thumb more than we have ever used it before in any works by Bach. In fact, out of curiosity, here are the percentages of our playing time spent in thumbposition for the different movements:
| Movement | Beats Using Thumbposition (%) |
|---|---|
| A Minor I | 28% |
| A MInor II | 20% |
| A Minor III | 37% |
| E Major I | 41% |
| E Major II | 7% |
| E Major III | 28% |