Bach’s violin concertos are some of my favorite works by my favorite composer. There’s so much simplicity and, at the same time, musical wizardry in these three pieces that, even after having listened to them for so many years, there are still new things I discover with each new opportunity I have to enjoy them. Among the great violin concertos, Bach’s will not be qualified as the most demanding for the interpreter, but they certainly are some of the most rewarding for the listener.
This is the first time I approach these works through a period-instrument recording. As I have said before, in the past I used to like these kinds of versions much more than I do now, probably because modern instruments and techniques help make the music more emotional, passionate, and deep. I’m glad to say that this is one of the best of this “true baroque”-movement recordings I have yet heard.
First off, doing some research on the web I found out something I really hadn’t noticed the first time I listened to the disc: the music is being played at a very-slightly lower pitch than the current norm for these works, around one semitone lower. In true “period instrument” spirit, Manze and the Academy of Ancient Music play these concertos in the key that they would likely have been performed in the 18th century. When I listened to the album for a second time, I was aware of the change, but it’s not immediately noticeable. Maybe it makes some of the passages sound a little like Vivaldi, but not to a high degree.
All the three concertos receive excellent treatment here. The recording, crystal clear and with enough depth to create the sensation of a live performance, helps put the soloist instruments at the very front of the sonic universe of this disc. I’ve read comments that criticize how up-front the violin sounds in comparison with the rest of the ensemble, but I think it’s not a big problem. The violins are the soloist instruments, after all. And they don’t take away from the sound as a whole. Every contrapuntal line, every continuo chord and figure can still be enjoyed to its fullest.
The tempos, usually a problem I find with period-recordings (they tend to be faster), are quite right here. My favorite of the three concertos, the double concerto in D-minor, has the same vitality and energy than in modern instrument recordings, the superb counterpoint of the majestic last movement played at the right pace. The same can be said about the A-minor one with its glorious slow movement and its exuberant final gigue. The lack of vibrato and other techniques takes its toll in the opening of the E-major concert, though, with the three opening notes sounding too brief, too rushed, with little power. But this and other minor qualms I have for this version of Bach’s masterpieces (mostly due to the dry sound of the soloist instrument) are irrelevant in the big picture. This is an excellent album, one that I would recommend to anyone looking for antique versions of these three glorious concertos.
The disc also contains an adaptation of Bach’s BWV 1060 concerto, which is thought to be for 2 harpsichords, and has also been played with a violin and an oboe. I’m not such a big fan of new approaches to music that is already perfect, but the idea pays off, and greatly, on this recording.
4/5
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