Inspired by the power and clarity of an extraordinary instrument handcrafted by a legendary guitarrero from Granada, guitar virtuoso Stephen Marchionda presents his very own personal versions of Bach's Sonata in A minor and the Suite in E major; and together with the Lute Suite, BWV997, he has created an album that masterfully combines polyphonic intimacy with sonorous opulence.

"Despite all the mathematical, scientific, and virtuosic complexities of Bach's fugues, preludes and dances, his music is undeniably moving, compelling both listener and performer to plunge great depths and reach vertigo heights of feeling", writes Marchionda. With his intuitive sensitivity for both the music and the instrument, Marchionda enriches passages with artistic expression and thus achieves an unrivalled interpretation of Bach's music.

In the maestro's hands the instrument revels in counterpoint and complex harmonies yet allows for colours to come through, and so the themes from two grandiose fugues are heard with filigree transparency. Fretted notes and open strings are both resonant and harmonious, creating an enchanting tapestry of sound in the brilliant Prelude from the Suite in E major, for example.

Although these works belong to Bach's secular output, they are powerful in their spiritual expressive intent. The opening theme of the Sarabande from the Suite in C minor (BWV997) holds remarkable similarities to the last movement of the St Matthew Passion: "...reverential inspiration on an intimate scale, a universe of emotion contained in a box with strings", writes Marchionda.