The American Nicholas Goluses is only the second guitarist to record all three sonatas, and on a single disc. There is no gainsaying his depth of scholarship, strength of technique and high quality of tone-production, and were his the only available recording I would welcome it as a significant and as-yet-unparalleled step forward for Bach on the guitar. However, Frank Bungarten preceded him by seven years and on balance it is to him that the accolade rightfully belongs.
There is a noticeable heaviness and lack of smoothness in Goluses's performances, typified in Sonata No. 1 – the smoothness improves as the recording progresses, but the heaviness persists. Whilst Bungarten is skilful in his use of rubato and brings dynamic shape to the Presto of the same Sonata, Goluses, at a slower tempo (about one minute slower than is par for the course) sounds relentless. In Sonata No. 2 Goluses incorporates some of the variants found in the harpsichord version (BWV964), most of which enhance the music, but that near the end of the Grave (from 3'13'') sounds so alien and uncomfortable that Schmieder's caveat ''Echtheit angezweifelt'' seems justified, as does Bungarten's adherence to the text of BWV1003.
Though there is much excellence in Goluses's recording as a whole, it is hard to escape the feeling that it is far more academically, rather than emotionally driven than Bungarten's. It is Bungarten who responds more naturally to the full gamut of expression – from the noble and magnificent to the lyrical and tender. Both sets are very well recorded and, taken together, they offer an instructive comparison from which more may be learnt than by choosing one or the other. If, however, I want to demonstrate what the guitar can do for these works, it is to Bungarten that I will turn.'