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Mak Grgic

MAK|Bach

Release Date: July 2, 2021

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Bach - Violin Sonata No. 1, BWV 1001
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Mak Grgic visits Good Day Columbia
1 Herzliebster Jesu, Was Hast du Verbrochen 0:52  
2 Partita-Allemande 3:38  
3 Partita-Corrente 3:09  
4 Partita-Sarabande 4:25  
5 Partita-Bouree Anglaise 2:24  
6 Christ Lag in Todesbanden 1:17  
7 Sonata-Adagio 4:04  
8 Sonata-Fuga 6:19  
9 Sonata-Siciliana 4:07  
10 Sonata-Presto 2:56 0  
11 Petrus, der Nicht Denkt Zuru¨ck 0:56  
12 Suite-Prelude 5:14  
13 Suite-Allemande 5:16  
14 Suite-Courante 2:37  
15 Suite-Sarabande 3:33  
16 Suite-Gavottes 2:56  
17 Suite-Gigue 3:00  
18 Es Ist Genug! So Nimm Herr 1:28  
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The Slovenian-born, Los Angeles–based guitarist Mak Grgic has recorded MAK|Bach, an album of popular Bach pieces performed on well-tempered guitar that reproduces a style of tuning used by Bach himself. It will be released on July 2, 2021, on MicroFest Records [and will be available for preorder at www.MicroFestRecords.com and at Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon.]

MAK|Bach represents the continuation of Grgic!s exploration of microtonality captured on his previous MicroFest album, MAKrotonal, a collection of new music that also contained Bach!s famous Chaconne in D Minor. Listeners who were so captivated by that recording will be thrilled by Grgic!s expanded and deepened Bach recordings on Mak|Bach.

On these recordings Grgic plays a guitar whose individual sliding frets are tuned to a keyboard temperament designed by Johann Kirnberger, a composer who lived with the Bach family while studying with Johann Sebastian. Kirnberger wrote: "Each key has its own special degrees and intervals through which it receives its own character, its own impression, both in the harmony and melody."

In Grgic!s hands, this temperament heightens harmonic drama and tension, finding new shades of familiar colors, and restoring a depth and vibrancy missing from most recordings, which use the modern equal temperament of the standard-fret guitar. "I am delighted to dedicate an entire album to the great master. Music by J.S. Bach is the kind of music that all classical musicians refer to and are often measured by. Secondly, in my exploration of the well-temperament popularized during the times of Bach I found a certain curiosity in the soundscapes and drama that this kind of alternative temperament was creating. Suddenly, the music came more alive, and I was more observant of the ebb and flow of the harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic motions as affected by the slightly different soundscape." 

  • Sedona Symphony kicks off 20th season with Mak Grgic / The Verde Independent
    Posted At: October 9, 2024
    The Verde Independent's Thomas Staples writes…..The Sedona Symphony (formerly Verde Valley Sinfonietta) presents its first concert of the 2024-2025 season under the innovative direction of Artistic Director, Janna Hymes. The concert features two-time Grammy-nominated guest artist, guitarist Mak Grgic, performing Rodrigo's stunning Concierto de Aranjuez on Sunday, October 20 at 2:30 p.m. in the Sedona Perfor...

  • Mak Grgic's Maverick concert starts with a gracious beginning and ends in a flashy close / The Boston Musical Intelligencer
    Posted At: July 10, 2023
    Touted as a “gifted young guitarist” by the New York Times, and “a guitarist to keep an eye on” by the Washington Post, Grammy®- nominated artist Mak Grgic´ [GER-gich] is a star on the worldwide stage. An expansive and adventurous repertoire attests to his versatility and wide-ranging interests. From the ethnic music of his native Balkans to extreme avant-garde and microtonal music, his roles as soloist, co...

  • Mak Grgic set to join Bakersfield Symphony for final concert of season / Bakersfield.com
    Posted At: April 27, 2023
    Touted as a “gifted young guitarist” by the New York Times, and “a guitarist to keep an eye on” by the Washington Post, Grammy®- nominated artist Mak Grgic is a star on the worldwide stage. An expansive and adventurous repertoire attests to his versatility and wide-ranging interests. From the ethnic music of his native Balkans to extreme avant-garde and microtonal music, his roles as soloist, collaborator, ...

  • 91.1WSHU chats with 'Connecticut Guitar Festival' artistic director, two-time GRAMMY nominee: Mak Grgic
    Posted At: February 27, 2023
    Touted as a “gifted young guitarist” by the New York Times, and “a guitarist to keep an eye on” by the Washington Post, Grammy®- nominated artist Mak Grgic´ [GER-gich] is a star on the worldwide stage. An expansive and adventurous repertoire attests to his versatility and wide-ranging interests. From the ethnic music of his native Balkans to extreme avant-garde and microtonal music, his roles as soloist, co...

  • FOX 57 - Good Day Columbia sits down with USC professor and GRAMMY nominee Mak Grgic
    Posted At: November 29, 2022
    Mak Grgic is an innovative player, who programs music as far reaching as works from the avant-garde, film music to the great classics of guitar repertoire and transcriptions of Brahms and Kreisler.His new recording on Marquis Music entitled Cinema Verismo focuses on music used in cinema over the last few decades, which mixes classical works used in films and transcriptions of cinematic scores. The CD i...

  • 'The Up Close with Mak Grgic' set for Davenport IA's Redstone Room / River Cities Reader
    Posted At: August 30, 2022
    The River Cities Reader writes….Touted as a “gifted young guitarist” by the New York Times and “a guitarist to keep an eye on” by the Washington Post, Grammy-nominated artist Mak Grgic´ performs a special Redstone Room concert on September 11 in an event co-presented by the Quad City Symphony, allowing patrons an audience with this exciting talent before he joins the QCSO as a guest soloist in the forthcomi...

  • Bach without the wax paper: Mak Grgic playing on a Well-Tempered (Kirnberger III) Guitar / New Music Buff
    Posted At: April 22, 2022
    New Music Buff's Allan J. Cronin writes…Microtones and alternate tuning systems are increasingly one of the most significant streams in new classical music as well as in the revisioning of old classical music to capture the sound of the music in its original milieu, which is not current performance practice. In the liner notes John Schneider says that hearing Bach in 12 tone equal temperament (current perfo...

  • MGF brings together 37 guitarists from around the world to participate in weekly livestream concert series / LIMELIGHT
    Posted At: March 18, 2020

    With the COVID-19 coronavirus forcing a wave of mass cancellations and postponements in the arts industry, artists and companies are finding new ways to continue reaching their audience, attempting to keep the sector afloat in what is an unprecedented crisis. One organisation having to change tack in these difficult times is the Melbourne Guitar Festival. A three-day September festival and annual concert...

  • Mak Grgic with Dubrovnik Symphony, set for the terrace of MOMA / The Dubrovnik Times
    Posted At: May 25, 2018

    Guitarist Mak Grgic and the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christoph Campestrini will perform on Friday, May 25th, at the Guitar concerto by Delo Jusic Concert. The event will take place at the terrace of MOMA Dubrovnik at 9 pm. Mak Grgic was named "fanciful, gifted and expressive" guitarist by the New York Times as well as the "guitarist to pay attention to" by the Washington Post. This talen...

  • Mak Grgic - Cinema Verismo on SYND: Classical Guitar Alive
    Posted At: August 19, 2014

    Classical Guitar Alive's mission is to promote the love of classical music with the guitar to the widest possible audience, and in innovative ways that have the greatest impact and benefit to all. Classical Guitar Alive reaches and serves local, national, and international communities with many innovative projects and programs that are not repeated elsewhere. Thanks to your support, we're ac...

  • Mak Grgic - Cinema Verismo / WCRB: CD Of the Week
    Posted At: July 27, 2014

    Many of this month's CD of the Week selections have contemplated (to one degree or another) the notion of homage. This week, Mak Grgic, a Slovenian classical guitarist, brings us Cinema Verismo. In this unique album, he highlights original arrangements of classical pieces written specifically for or featured prominently in popular cinema. Grgic spotlights Nino Rota's "Godfather's Waltz" from ...

  • Mak Grgic - Cinema Verismo / ClassicsToday review
    Posted At: July 17, 2014

    All of the guitar transcriptions on this disc are based on classical, semi-classical, and Broadway musical selections that appear in movies, along with a few actual pieces of film music. That explains the collection's title "Cinema Verismo". Otherwise, why else would one place Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze" (featured in the film Rainbow) between Nino Rota's "Waltz" from The Godfather and Van...

  • Mak Grgic - Cinema Verismo / KDFC 'Download Of the Week'
    Posted At: June 26, 2014

    Each week KDFC - San Francisco members can download a free mp3 from some of the biggest releases in the world of Classical music. This week's pick is Cinema Verismo is the debut CD of guitarist Mak Grgic (pronounced Mock GER-gitch). It combines classical standards (Asturias, Sheep May Safely Graze, the Albinoni Adagio) with familiar tunes from the world of cinema like Chariots of Fire, Gabriel's ...

  • Mak Grgic interview on KPBX Spokane WA
    Posted At: April 22, 2014

    Mak Grgić, has quickly established himself as one of today's top guitarists. His debut Marquis Music recording: Cinema Verismo, from presents a new approach for solo guitar music showcasing brilliant performances of age-old classical selections, such themes from The Godfather, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Volver, The Mission, West Side Story and Chariots of Fire. Grgić dis...

  • Mak Grgic - Cinema Verismo is KDFC 'CD Of the Week.'
    Posted At: April 21, 2014

    Cinema Verismo is the debut CD of guitarist Mak Grgic (pronounced Mock GER-gitch). It combines classical standards (Asturias, Sheep May Safely Graze, the Albinoni Adagio) with familiar tunes from the world of cinema like Chariots of Fire, Gabriel's Oboe, and the Cavatina from The Deer Hunter. Originally from Slovenia, 26 year-old Grgic is currently pursuing a Doctoral Degree at USC and is studying wi...
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