This is a recording with several differences. Galbraith, who might be termed ‘the thinking man’s guitarist’, uses an eight-string guitar which “communicates with a floor-standing resonance box via a ‘Tortelier spike’”. The increased pitch-range is not in itself new; multi-stringed guitars with comparable ranges have been around for more than a century, but the mode of amplification is novel, natural (non-electronic) and, in concert halls, effective. He also holds his instrument in an unconventional but anatomically superior position, akin to that of a cellist. So much for the hardware. The Sonatas and Partitas are played in their original order, not divided into groups, and herein lies another novelty: Galbraith advances the plausible (but alas unprovable) proposition, that in their written order they form a triptych “telling of the Birth, Passion and Resurrection of Christ”. Strange, that the Passion should be portrayed in a da camera work, with the Chaconne (here lasting an awed 20 minutes!) at its “pivotal moment”, but read his lucidly expressed arguments and make up your own mind about it all. No less contentious is his assertion that BWV1006a is “an original lute version” of the Third Partita.
Galbraith has transposed four of the works – three more than usual, dismantling what Christoff Wolf perceived in his notes on Sigiswald Kuijken’s recording (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, 4/89) to be Bach’s planned tonal sequence within the six works. He has quite properly made modifications to the original score, with some of which you may not feel entirely comfortable – the same applies to his articulation in a few passages – why, for instance, are the second-beat chords in the Chaconne not arpeggiated? But these are drops in the ocean of the total achievement. Galbraith’s embellishments, notated and added, are impeccable. It is a pity that so many repeats are sacrificed (though not in the Sarabandes), maybe enforced by some unusually slow tempos. Nevertheless these are magnificently played, thoughtful and majestic performances. They represent a superbly engineered landmark in the history of guitar recordings. Beware: some of the track times given in the insert-booklet for BWV1006a defy belief! Strongly recommended, and not only to lovers of the guitar.'