Bach: Chaconne from the Partita for Violin No. 2 | Viktoria Mullova

It’s regarded as the work in which the full depth and magic of Johann Sebastian Bach can be found: the Ciaccona; fifth and final movement of the Partita in D minor for solo violin, BWV 1004. Here Bach’s chaconne is played by violinist Viktoria Mullova at a 1999 concert in the Nikolaikirche, Leipzig. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) composed the Partita No. 2 in Köthen, 1720. He had returned home after a long period of official travel to learn that his wife had passed away during his absence – and had already been buried. Research disputes whether his second partita, and in particular its fifth movement – the Ciaccona – is a testament to Bach’s personal grief. Regardless, the Ciaccona occupies a special position within Partita No. 2: It’s longer than the previous four movements combined, thus disrupting the balance of the suite. In purely formal terms, the Ciaccona also plays against type. It is based on a sombre figure in the bass voice – repeated a total of 32 times, as if circlin