You know , I really appreciate Chris Thiles’ virtuosity and musicianship, bit his instrument of choice, the mandolin (half the time tuning, half time playing out of tune, as the folk band saying goes) just sucks as a classical instrument. Go to YouTube and watch any performance of it on a fiddle, and there is no comparison.

The mandolin has intrinsic limitations. It is not an instrument that can legitimately play that Bach piece although he did it as well as it could be done. A very successful fail.