Q&A With Gaëlle Solal Q: Why did you choose this repertoire? A: I could have chosen to record my actual recital program more oriented towards popular music, but I also wanted to add some new transcriptions. As I was preparing to return to the recording studio, I decided to do something new and to take risks and... why not, surprise myself! This concept fit completely into my actual artistic process of challenging myself to step outside of my comfort zone. Q: How was this project born? A: To understand how this project is born, we have to go back to November 2011. I was invited to play for a French radio show and there was some extra time, so I added some music by Bach. While playing, I was thinking that it had been years since I have played this type of music and that I had never played it in public. After the radio show, I began to build a complete program of baroque music with only Chaconnes and Passacailles, a form that I am passionate about. What I find fascinating is that the variations on the same ostinato bass interlock and add a small step to complete a whole piece. I also realized when I picked the pieces, that all of them were from German composers. Q: How was this studio experience different from others? A: As opposed to my other CDs, this one was not done through a painful process. I could record with no stress. My sound engineer and artistic director, Adrián Rius, did his best to make me feel comfortable with simple phrases like "don't rush" or "take you time". It's the first time that I felt recording could be a pleasure. Q: What do you think after listening to the finished album? A: This is a very tricky part of the recording process. It took me some time to finally sit on a sofa and listen to myself from the beginning to the end. I am very satisfied from the result and even surprised. Of course, I have now new ideas but that was my thoughts at this particular time. I hope you will enjoy the CD as much as I enjoyed recording it and you will discover or rediscover these gems from the Baroque repertoire.