Lajos Rozmán plays Bach on Clarinet in C

Bach in Pure DSD 256!

Bach Revoiced presents a distinctive reinterpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s solo violin repertoire performed on C clarinet by Hungarian clarinetist Lajos Rozmán in Pure DSD 256. The album features Bach’s Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002 and Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003, works originally composed for solo violin but reimagined here through the expressive capabilities of the clarinet.

Rozmán’s project emerges from decades of study and engagement with Bach’s music. Drawing on his experience as a clarinetist, keyboard performer, and conductor, he proposes a fresh perspective on these celebrated works. In his interpretation, the clarinet in C provides an especially suitable medium for Bach’s music, offering a soprano-like timbre and eliminating the transposition issues common to other clarinets. The instrument’s dynamic range and singing tone allow melodic lines and implied polyphony to emerge with clarity and flexibility.

Although Bach never wrote explicitly for clarinet, Rozmán argues that the composer’s own practice of transcription supports such reinterpretations. Bach frequently adapted works for different instruments and contexts, reshaping musical material to suit new sonic environments. Following this tradition, Rozmán approaches these performances not as strict transcriptions but as musical realizations that reveal the polyphonic potential of Bach’s solo lines through phrasing, articulation, and dynamic nuance.

The recording highlights the clarinet’s ability to evoke multiple voices within a single melodic line, suggesting the harmonic and contrapuntal richness often implied in Bach’s violin writing. Rozmán’s interpretation emphasizes expressive phrasing, subtle agogic shaping, and a vocal quality of tone, transforming the clarinet into a vehicle capable of conveying the structural depth and spiritual intensity of Bach’s music.

Recorded in Budapest in December 2025, Bach Revoiced forms the first stage of a broader project in which Rozmán intends to record the complete set of Bach’s solo violin works on clarinet.

Lajos Rozmán, Clarinet