Bach; Kreisler; Ysa e: Solo Violin Works

Advantages: Romantic orchestral music
Disadvantages: Only 1 hour - eat quickly for a romantic dinner

...Johann Sebastian Bach, giant among Baroque composers, was a prolific writer whose versatility and creativity resulted in a wealth of musical works with a diversity ranging from sacred choral works, keyboard music to orchestra music. The CD, Concerto for Two Violins in D minor / Violin Concertos in A minor & E minor, is an orchestral recording conducted by Salvatore Accardo, in which two violins (Anne-Sophie Mutter and Salvatore Accardo) / solo violin (Anne-Sophie Mutter) are contrasted with a larger orchestra (English Chamber Orchestra) of strings and bass continuo instrument the harpsichord. Bach is often criticized for his strict attention to form. Whilst, I greatly admire Bach for his intellectual and methodical approach to composition, what I enjoy most is the harmonious and melodic music that results. This CD is a superb example... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Beautiful relaxing music. Rich instrumentation. Played with passion.
Disadvantages: Not all instruments are from the period.

...are best heard (in my opinion) on the period instruments for which they were originally intended. Whilst Menuhin and his Bath Festival orchestra do not entirely use period instruments, the continuo is performed on the harpsichord and Menuhin uses a piccolo violin in the first. Before I go on to say a little about the individual concertos, I think maybe I should just describe what a concerto actually involves. A concerto is a form of music in which a solo instrument or instruments are contrasted with a larger body of instruments. The main body of instruments of the baroque period is the string section and a continuo instrument usually a harpsichord or organ plays the underlying harmony. The usual format for a concerto is three movements (a fast tempo movement followed firstly by a slow movement and then by another fast movement). Bach... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Mutter's eloquence and sensitivity in older recording are enhanced here.
Disadvantages: None at all!

..., especially those lovely intricacies in melody and time signature. Surprises await you in the rapid, unpredictable shifts in tempo and the occasional key change. Sweet, languid notes alternate with harsh ones. Seemingly chaotic at first, the work’s profound beauty reveals itself only over time. Running to twenty-two minutes, the first movement is long for a concerto, but the soloist gets a little break midway through. Mutter plays Joseph Joaquim’s cadenza (violin solo), entering with stirring passages that end on a high note held across several bars. Just when you think it has reached the summit, the violin dares to go even further, now more passionate and rapturous than ever, as the orchestra picks up the theme and proceeds to sound the closing chords. Spanish virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate scoffed at the manner in which the second movement opens... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful