Bach, J S - Three or One - Thomas, Fred

Here is Johann Sebastian Bach in a new light: 24 pieces of organ chorale preludes, vocal cantatas, and orchestral sinfonias transcribed for Fred Thomas's trio and solo piano, woven into Manfred Eicher's compelling new series. In Three Or One, three innovative musicians respectfully explore Bach's style, a process that Thomas describes as "quietly joyful." The trio pieces, mainly from Bach's Orgelbüchlein, take on a new character in the hands of Kazakh violinist Aisha Orazbayeva and British cellist Lucy Railton, musicians more often associated with the forefront of contemporary composition. Fred Thomas, making his debut here on the ECM New Series, has always worked in different contexts and genres, and considers the trio's wide-ranging experience "an incentive for creativity. Bach often reused his own material, and it's no surprise that it came out differently each time. Do we really believe that Bach would play the same thing twice in the same way with his imaginative, technical, and improvisational abilities?" It's a good question and key to the approach taken in Three Or One.