For his excellent new album, master accordionist Alexander Sevastian proposes a program of several masterpieces by Johann Sebastian Bach transcribed for the accordion. The “Chaconne” and major organ works such as the Prelude and Fugue in A minor, the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, and the famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor – have a certain dramatic character. Balanced by the lighter “Badinerie” from Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor and the more meditative “Air on the G String” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major and the chorale prelude “Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ,” this program simultaneously showcases Sevastian’s virtuosity and sensitivity. Alexander Sevastian has a Master’s Degree in Performance from the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow, and an Advanced Certificate in Music from the University of Toronto. He commissions and performs contemporary music on a regular basis, and has for the past two years been performing alongside world-renowned clarinetist Julian Milkis.