Gramophone has selected Alon Sariel’s Plucked Bach III as one of its Editor’s Choice picks for June 2026, with critic Lindsay Kemp writing that once you hear this release, you’ll find it hard not to be enchanted by Sariel’s profound artistry.
The review traces Sariel’s mission throughout the trilogy to explore Bach from the starting point of variants of his own instrument, the mandolin, extending here to the archlute and a newly introduced Ottoman bağlama, which brings jangly rhythmic energy to the Musette from the Anna Magdalena Notebook. Kemp singles out the mighty Chaconne, played on mandolin, as having all the power, weight, and variety the piece demands, describing the moment of return to the minor as devastatingly timed.
Kemp calls the project a moving and thoughtful intervention matching the sensitivity, grace, and precision of Sariel’s playing throughout, concluding that this is Bach-playing for the ages.
Plucked Bach III is out now on PENTATONE.
