July 8, 2022

Bach's Prelude BWV 999

Mattias Schulstad releases Bach prelude. "Immaculate and sensitive playing that takes a listener to the heart of Bach's music." —Tim Page

"I see Bach's prelude BWV 999 as an iridescent hero's journey: from somberness, reflection and growth, to stress, redemption and grace." —Mattias Schulstad

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—On July 8, 2022, the Swedish classical guitarist Mattias Schulstad releases his recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's prelude BWV 999. The release is celebrated with a concert on July 10 at Sweden's Vamlingbo kulturscen, on the summer destination Gotland.

The recording has so far seen features on playlists by Spotify (Classical New Releases), TIDAL (Encore: New in Classical) and YouTube Music (Basically Baroque), as well as on radio stations including BBC Radio 3 (Saturday Breakfast), and NPO Radio 4 (Lekkere Track).

BBC Radio 3 said about the recording: "Mattias calls it 'premium grade Bach.' And he says he hopes to present it as a piece of music, not just an exercise. And we think you succeeded."

Mattias describes a reason for recording the work: "Bach's prelude BWV 999 is in my estimation mainly known today as an exercise. But it's premium-grade Bach, and musically currently undervalued. My macro goal with this work is to present it as a piece of music, not mainly as an exercise. My micro goal is to strengthen consensus regarding its twenty-third measure: it's subject to differing accounts, which have remained divided over time, whether, in C minor, its bass line should feature the note D or E-flat."

The leading Bach scholar Christoph Wolff says: "The only source of BWV 999 is a copy by Johann Peter Kellner, but Kellner’s copies are notoriously unreliable. He definitely writes an E-flat in m. 23 but the pedal point harmony of the entire passage requires a steady D."

This release is accompanied by a new performance edition, in line with Wolff's assessment, edited by Mattias.

In reflecting on the music's intrinsic content, Mattias states: "I see Bach's prelude BWV 999 as an iridescent hero's journey: from somberness, reflection and growth, to stress, redemption and grace. I hear its arpeggios like interdependent melodies, carrying forth the story, transporting me away, yet keeping me present in the moment. I feel the work's emotions resonate through the guitar's vocal qualities, and across the human condition."

The intimacy of the guitar is naturally captured on recording, and its repertoire includes high-quality short works that in the streaming economy have proven to be effective. "For reflecting our inner lives, the guitar is ideal," says Mattias.

Bach's prelude BWV 999 is to be followed by a full-length album, made in continued collaboration with the 20-time Grammy-winning producer David Frost, as well as a film featuring performances of music from the album, intertwined with conversation between Mattias and Pulitzer-winner Tim Page, who says about the recording: "Immaculate and sensitive playing that takes a listener to the heart of Bach's music."

The recording of Bach's prelude BWV 999 was enabled by supporters including lead sponsor Kjell och Märta Beijers Stiftelse and the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation.

About Mattias Schulstad
Mattias Schulstad is a Swedish musician and classical guitarist, whose full-length recording debut Invocación introduced the notion in recent history that Chopin influenced the guitar as we know it today. The album is named Editor’s Choice by Gramophone, which describes Mattias's playing as "refined, intelligent and highly musical" and calls the album "an outstanding debut."

The album explores Chopin's influence on the modern classical guitar's central figure, Spanish composer Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909), and features music by both composers side by side—presenting Chopin in an intimate light, and Tárrega in his most Chopinesque works. Invocación is chosen as Album of the Week by Classic FM (U.K.) and WQXR (New York), and heard on editorial playlists on Spotify, where it's reached 1M+ streams to date.

Credits
Produced by David Frost
Recording engineer: Linn Fijal
Assistant recording engineer: Vilma Colling
Recording location: RMV Studio
Recording date: February 9, 2022
Editing: Mattias Schulstad
Editing, mixing, and mastering engineer: Brian Losch
Guitar: Ignacio Fleta e hijos, No.577, 1971 ("Erik")
Strings: Albert Augustine; regal trebles, blue basses
Photography: Tina Signesdottir

Total time: 02:28

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