Recommendations for a HIP version of Bach's solo violin music

[Lionel Tacchini]

If one were to seek out a version of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for
solo violin played by a violinist in the baroque style (aka HIP), which
would be in the short list?

A word about their main characteristics or reason for the recommendation
would help of course.

--
Lionel Tacchini

[carey...@yahoo.com]

Rachel Podger would be shortlisted for sure. Astounding rhythmic sense,
'organic' feel.

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 16.03.2015 17:59, carey...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Rachel Podger would be shortlisted for sure. Astounding rhythmic sense,
> 'organic' feel.

Sounds good:-)

--
Lionel Tacchini

[jrsnfld]

On Monday, March 16, 2015 at 9:59:58 AM UTC-7, carey...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Rachel Podger would be shortlisted for sure. Astounding rhythmic sense,
> 'organic' feel.

While I agree that she's on the shortlist, I can't remember why, exactly. I enjoyed her recording very much.

The problem is, it's a rather short list to begin with, right?

Podger
Holloway
Huggett
Ritchie
Kuijken
van Dael
Busch
Schmitt
Wallfisch
Schroeder...

What about Blumenstock, Manze, or Biondi? Have they?

--Jeff

[Oscar]

Based on iTunes data analysis from 2013-14, Huggett has been my favorite. Podger's has been on my wish list for some time, need to get around to buying it. Have not heard Holloway on ECM, either.

Stay away from Rüdiger Lotter's rigid, lifeless reading on.

Huggett
Virgin Classics 5 45207 2 ℗ © 1997.
Stereo. DDD.
Recorded in The Warehouse, Theed Street, London, September-December 1995, except Partita No.1: St. Paul's Church, Harefield, Middlesex.
Producer: Emilia Benjamin, except Partita No.2, tracks 1-4: Sarah Cunningham.
Balance engineer: Tony Faulkner.
Booklet notes: Mark Audus (1), Monica Huggett (2).
Violin by Antonius and Hieronymous Amati, Cremona 1618; bow early 18th C. model by Luis Emilio Rodriguez Carrington.

Lotter
OehmsClassics OC 838 ℗ 2010, 2011 © 2012.
DDD.
Recorded in the Himmelfahrtskirche München-Sendling, April 2010 and July 2011.
Executive producer: Dieter Oehms.
Recording producer, editing and mastering: Bernhard Hanke.
Booklet note: Rüdiger Lotter.
Violin by Jacobus Stainer, Absam 1635.

[metrosout...@gmail.com]

I don't believe so. There are additional HIP recordings by Sergiu Luca and Ingrid Mathews.

[howie...@btinternet.com]

Kuijken recorded them twice, I'm very fond of the first recording, on DHM, for its candour and lack of swagger. I also like the recorded sound. The second recording seems less interesting to me, and less well recorded.

[howie...@btinternet.com]

One that people have forgotten is Helene Schmidt. I'm not sure how HIP it is supposed to be - does anyone know if she thinks her ideas are authentic? I don't have the booklet, and I don't like the performances much.

[cooper...@gmail.com]

That would be Schmitt (not Schmidt), and she's on Jeff's list spelled correctly :-) I also was disappointed by her Bach. Her Schmelzer, otoh, is terrific, and the music is far less frequently recorded. Here's another vote for Podger.

AC

[Frank Lekens]

jrsnfld schreef op 16-3-2015 18:41:

I don't know, but Amandine Beyer has, and doesn't she also qualify as
HIP? I don't know her recording (don't know these works very well to
begin with), but some people on this forum rather liked it:

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?/topic/66819-bach-solo-violin-hip-recommendations/


I guess Faust doesn't qualify as HIP?
(Review here http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/wm4z
and here
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/editorial/bachs-solo-violin-sonatas-partitas

--
Frank Lekens

http://fmlekens.home.xs4all.nl/

[jrsnfld]

I've heard Faust's Bach on the radio (too long ago) but I wouldn't know. Based on the review, it seems she doesn't use a Baroque (lower) pitch and that she probably doesn't use gut strings. So, HIP inspired but not a first choice when comparing more complete "HIP" intentions. See also Ibragimova and others...

Now, those Gramophone reviews indicate Mullova (on Onyx) qualifies on those key points, so maybe she should make the list. I'll listen to her again.

Obviously the "short list" is a longer than I originally guessed. Maybe Podger really does stand out in an actual crowd. It's worth a comparison session....

--Jeff

[hvid...@gmail.com]

To my ear Podger emphasizes the dance elements of these pieces. She plays them with engaging energy--it can be hard not to feel the joy which is absent from many performances. Mullova is more measured and introspective. Both are great.

HV

[howie...@btinternet.com]

The thing I'd be most interested is a recording, HIP, which underplays the dancing elements, underplays the singing elemements, and underplays the nobility and elegance. What I want is a performance which brings out the rhetorical, theatrical, secco recitiative like elements - a recording which relishes sudden changes in tempo and rhythm. A recording which does for the violin music what Bylsma II and did for the cello music.

Any suggestions?

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 16.03.2015 22:38, jrsnfld wrote:
> I've heard Faust's Bach on the radio (too long ago) but I wouldn't
> know. Based on the review, it seems she doesn't use a Baroque (lower)
> pitch and that she probably doesn't use gut strings. So, HIP inspired
> but not a first choice when comparing more complete "HIP" intentions.
> See also Ibragimova and others...
>
> Now, those Gramophone reviews indicate Mullova (on Onyx) qualifies on
> those key points, so maybe she should make the list. I'll listen to
> her again.

Well, "half-HIP" or strongly "HIPIP" would make another interesting
little list I suppose, provided some key characteristics are indicated.

> Obviously the "short list" is a longer than I originally guessed.
> Maybe Podger really does stand out in an actual crowd. It's worth a
> comparison session....

I believe it will be. Podger, Huguett and Kuijken 1 were explicitly
recommended so far and there is some more information in the provided
links. I think I'll try to hear some of Ibragimova as well.
--
Lionel Tacchini

[Lionel Tacchini]

That's exactly the type of description I would love to read together
with names. Then I get one and it has no name :-(

--
Lionel Tacchini - youcantalwaysgetwhatyouwant

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 17.03.2015 06:57, howie...@btinternet.com wrote:

> What I want is a performance which brings out the rhetorical,
> theatrical, secco recitiative like elements - a recording which
> relishes sudden changes in tempo and rhythm. A recording which does
> for the violin music what Bylsma II and did for the cello music.

I hear some of this in Lucy van Dael's recording.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5TQhSVuWNuxV4l5ZNdMf4a
--
Lionel Tacchini

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 17.03.2015 06:59, Lionel Tacchini wrote:
> I believe it will be. Podger, Huguett and Kuijken 1 were explicitly
> recommended so far and there is some more information in the provided
> links. I think I'll try to hear some of Ibragimova as well.

Listening to Huggett on Spotify (had to get the name right first), this
is clearly an opposite to the "rhythmic sense", "dance elements" and
"engaging energy" praised in Podger's recording. Huggett's bach is
serious and introverted, slow too but I really like the straight playing.

--
Lionel Tacchini

[howie...@btinternet.com]

I will listen to van Dael given your suggestion, Lionel. As I was typing that description I was thinking that Matthews is the closest maybe, the most "rhetorical"

Don't forget the wonderful recording by John Holloway.

[MELMOTH]

Ce cher mammifère du nom de Lionel Tacchini nous susurrait, le lundi
16/03/2015, dans nos oreilles grandes ouvertes mais un peu sales tout
de même, et dans le message <me70q5$hhb$1...@gwaiyur.mb-net.net>, les doux
mélismes suivants :

> If one were to seek out a version of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo
> violin played by a violinist in the baroque style (aka HIP), which would be
> in the short list?

Lucy van Dael/Naxos...

--
Car avec beaucoup de science, il y a beaucoup de chagrin ; et celui qui
accroît sa science accroît sa douleur.
[Ecclésiaste, 1-18]
MELMOTH - souffrant

[Lionel Tacchini]

Oh, Ingrid Matthews is on Spotify as well. These labels really don't
want to sell anything, I found Beyer, van Dael, Faust, Huggett, Kuijken
I & II, Luca, Matthews, Schröder, Schmitt there and I suppose there will
be more if I keep searching.

Ibramigova, Holloway and Podger still resist, I almost feel like buying
them in support.

I like what I hear of Ingrid Matthews so far. Jaap Schröder squeaks a
little too much to my taste, which is a pity because I like the rest.
--
Lionel Tacchini

[Andy Evans]

Isabel Faust was mentioned - I've no idea how HIP she is either. But that's one I certainly listen to and enjoy - melodic and musical.

[Terry]

Well, I would be looking for: superb recording quality, in a spacious acoustic; Allemandes, Courantes, Sarabandes and Gigues that seem a lot like dance music; really clear layout of the counterpoint in the allegros; a rock-steady basis over which to lay out the structure in *that* passacaglia; and a lot of controlled passion.

With these as my bases, I come up with:

1. Christine Busch
2. Viktoria Mullova
3. Rachel Podger
4. Sigiswald Kuijken
5. Amandine Beyer
6. Elizabeth Wallfisch
7. Sergiu Luca
8. Pavlo Beznosiuk
9. Lucy van Dael

Notice how many of them are women! I've agonised for several seconds about this list, and it's in my order of preference. By the way, these are all recordings in my collection. Kuijken could be a bit higher on performance, but the recording quality is not as good as that for the players above him. Lastly, there's not a huge span from #1 to #9. Bach has been very fortunate with these performers. I'd be more than happy to listen to any in this list.

[hvid...@gmail.com]

Great description and list, thank you. I need to listen to Christine Busch.

[P]

> Rachel Podger would be shortlisted for sure. Astounding rhythmic sense,
'organic' feel.

And her Paritias & Sonatas recordings are free on Amazon Prime (mostly...Sonata 2&3 on Vol 2 are curiously excluded). Her double and triple concertos are also free on Prime.

-P

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 17.03.2015 14:44, hvid...@gmail.com wrote:
> Great description and list, thank you. I need to listen to Christine Busch.

Yes, there's been a lot of very valuable input.
Oh, Christine Busch and Viktoria Mullova are on Spotify too. I'll sample
them as well, then.

--
Lionel Tacchini

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 17.03.2015 14:25, Andy Evans wrote:
> Isabelle Faust was mentioned - I've no idea how HIP she is either. But

> that's one I certainly listen to and enjoy - melodic and musical.

The little I've heard on Spotify makes it fit my own selection
criterium, which is primarily about not sounding like Fritz Kreisler ;-)

So I'll listen to some of it, the reviews are tempting.
--
Lionel Tacchini

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 17.03.2015 14:36, Terry wrote:
> Notice how many of them are women!

It seems men no longer get to make careers as soloists. Maybe there not
what audiences want to see.
--
Lionel Tacchini

[Mark Zimmer]

Mullova was my first thought. It's odd how HIP seems to have really dominated much of the Bach field, except in the area of solo violin, where it's a bit more out of the way.

[Oscar]

On Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 7:24:51 AM, Lionel Tacchini wrote:
>
> Yes, there's been a lot of very valuable input.
> Oh, Christine Busch and Viktoria Mullova are on Spotify too. I'll sample
> them as well, then.

Well, after checking through my library, I also have Ibragimova (Hyperion) _and_ Bayer (ZigZag), but have not uploaded to my iTunes yet. Will try to do this soon. The one I can't wait to hear, someday, is: Patricia Kopatchinskaja.

Btw, I concur with your description of Huggett: "serious and introverted, slow, too, but I really like the straight playing." Here is something that you may find interesting, however, from the January 1998 issue of Gramophone (p.16). Monica Huggett's description of Bach's Chaconne -- is it what you hear in her interpretation, what little you can hear of it on Spotify?

<< "I have a vivid picture of a woman in flamenco dress with lots of petticoats. A lot of gestures have this atmosphere of a wild, tragic, impassioned Spanish dance."

...

"These pieces _are_ very difficult," she concedes, "and because of that they're still very much the property of the modern violinist who's not going to take so much notice of baroque players. It's interesting that in the case of the Cello Suites, Anner Bylsma made his first recording over 15 years ago [RCA, 1/81] and this influence has really permeated cellists all over the world -- they all took what he has to offer extremely seriously. I don't think there has been a seminal recording like that yet on the violin."

So how difficult is it to find your own way in music which has been played by the major violinists of previous generations, most of whom were rather less inclined toward the niceties of baroque style than our own? "Well, I've performed them a lot. I've probably performed the Chaconne about 50 times, and I think when you've performed it that much you get through to your feelings about it. I mean, when I'm learning things I do often buy lots of recordings, not just one but as many as I can get hold of and hear everybody else's views. I believe that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I'm not afraid to imitate something that really works. Some musicians have a thing about never sounding like other artists, but that doesn't worry me at all. If I think somebody else did something really well, I'll happily copy it. But funnily enough, I find that the end result doesn't sound anything like any of them."

Hugged instead considers that many of her main influences have come from outside the violin world. In particular, she acknowledges a debt to Ton Koopman, the effervescent harpsichordist whose Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra she led during the 1980s. "There was something about the way he would go for the over-riding character of any one piece and try to make it as full-blown as possible. My teacher was Manoug Parikian, and his attitude was that Bach should be too expressive, but when I went to play in Holland there was this thing of 'go for it!'"

And alongside her unexpected images of flamenco dancers, Huggett carries in her mind a clear picture of the composer herself to guide her. "I see Bach as this big North German with huge hands which could stretch a tenth and play all the parts in between, a great big chap who was difficult, passionate, overwhelming and larger-than-life. His music should be full-blooded; you shouldn't be feeling 'I mustn't do this, it's too much', but really go for it!" >>

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 17.03.2015 15:35, Lionel Tacchini wrote:
> On 17.03.2015 14:25, Andy Evans wrote:
>> Isabelle Faust was mentioned - I've no idea how HIP she is either. But
>> that's one I certainly listen to and enjoy - melodic and musical.
>
> The little I've heard on Spotify makes it fit my own selection
> criterium, which is primarily about not sounding like Fritz Kreisler ;-)

I didn't know such a thing existed, here's for recreation in between:
https://open.spotify.com/track/7qePeCj8s9SPc6ULpa7F7n

--
Lionel Tacchini

[Andy Evans]

>
> Notice how many of them are women! I've agonised for several seconds about this list, and it's in my order of preference.

I'm liking female violinists more and more - Mutter in most things, Mullova, Faust, Haendel etc.

They seem to have a more "gentle touch" as the saying goes - they let the music breathe more. More lyrical in general, though Mullova can be pretty cerebral. Going from somebody like Mutter to some of the male virtuosi they do tend to sound conspicuously harder in attack, and often faster speeds. Several exceptions of course, like early Menuhin which is a bit special.

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 17.03.2015 17:44, Oscar wrote:
> On Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 7:24:51 AM, Lionel Tacchini wrote:
>>
>> Yes, there's been a lot of very valuable input. Oh, Christine Busch
>> and Viktoria Mullova are on Spotify too. I'll sample them as well,
>> then.
>
> Well, after checking through my library, I also have Ibragimova
> (Hyperion) _and_ Bayer (ZigZag), but have not uploaded to my iTunes
> yet. Will try to do this soon. The one I can't wait to hear, someday,
> is: Patricia Kopatchinskaja.
>
> Btw, I concur with your description of Huggett: "serious and
> introverted, slow, too, but I really like the straight playing." Here
> is something that you may find interesting, however, from the January
> 1998 issue of Gramophone (p.16). Monica Huggett's description of
> Bach's Chaconne -- is it what you hear in her interpretation, what
> little you can hear of it on Spotify?

I can hear all of it in Spotify, there is no quality limitation, at
least none I can notice and there will be no adverts in the middle of
the Chaconne but I haven't heard it yet. My sampling has been limited to
the 1st sonata.

> << "I have a vivid picture of a woman in flamenco dress with lots of
> petticoats. A lot of gestures have this atmosphere of a wild, tragic,
> impassioned Spanish dance."

No, this is not what I will hear ;-)
I am more likely to appreciate an impassioned rendition than a
reverential one but this will be a matter of style and degree.

> "But funnily enough, I find that the end result
> doesn't sound anything like any of them."

The best players have their own distinctive face, this is what makes
ranking pointless beyond a mere selection of what's worth listening to.

--
Lionel Tacchini

[Terry]

Not in recent years.

[Terry]

Nice interview but gee, it's nearly 20 years old. That's a long time when the topic for discussion is HIP.

[Terry]

Let's know your conclusions, in due course.

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 18.03.2015 11:28, Terry wrote:
>> The best players have their own distinctive face, this is what makes
>> >ranking pointless beyond a mere selection of what's worth listening to.

> Let's know your conclusions, in due course.

My conclusions are that I will listen to Monica Huggett and Rachel
Podger for the consistent praise they received and the apparent
complementarity of their approaches. Then I am interested by the more
theatrical character of either Lucy van Dael or Ingrid Matthews as yet
another road to take.

I'll probably pull out my old Kuijken I too for a refresh.

Now if I had all the time in the world I know I would wish to hear
Amandine Beyer, Christine Busch, Isabelle Faust, John Holloway, Alina
Ibragimova, Viktoria Mullova … and I'm only listing those for which I
have read appetizing reviews or received explicitly strong recommendations.

--
Lionel Tacchini

[jrsnfld]

On Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 4:04:13 AM UTC-7, Lionel Tacchini wrote:
> On 18.03.2015 11:28, Terry wrote:
> >> The best players have their own distinctive face, this is what makes
> >> >ranking pointless beyond a mere selection of what's worth listening to.
>
> > Let's know your conclusions, in due course.
>
> My conclusions are that I will listen to Monica Huggett and Rachel
> Podger for the consistent praise they received and the apparent
> complementarity of their approaches. Then I am interested by the more
> theatrical character of either Lucy van Dael or Ingrid Matthews as yet
> another road to take.
>
> I'll probably pull out my old Kuijken I too for a refresh.
>
> Now if I had all the time in the world I know I would wish to hear
> Amandine Beyer, Christine Busch, Isabelle Faust, John Holloway, Alina

> Ibragimova, Viktoria Mullova ... and I'm only listing those for which I

> have read appetizing reviews or received explicitly strong recommendations.

I'm not sure my tastes are similar to yours (so far I'm very happy with both Podger and Mullova), but perusing YT has "told" me so far that:

Busch and Huggett are excellent, consistent, but maybe don't stand out in the crowd in terms of bringing new ideas to the music. Of the two, I prefer Busch at the moment for some reason--very beautiful sound.

Beyer seems a little more fresh and interesting, and the light touch of the Baroque bow (if that is a fair characterization) began to intrigue me as a reason to like these HIP recordings more than the standard faire.

Most of these are so enjoyable and beautifully played that I basically forgot they were "HIP", in terms of tone and style. Podger and Beyer only rarely reminded me that this wasn't to be compared to the Szeryngs and Grumiauxs of the past. If anything Podger, who is indeed very alive to the pulse and dance in the music, reminded me of what Heinrich Schiff does with the cello suites.

Then along came the more "bracing" and in your face Baroque stylings of van Dael to break the monotony--definitely worth a listen but not as consistently beautiful to my ear. And finally Ingrid Matthews, who not only played with more edge and lightness but gave an absorbing account of "that" Chaconne. Now I really wish I had that recording!

For a nightcap, back to Novotny--a sublime Chaconne, much admired for the "separation" of voices he achieves, and the long concentration of his phrases. A difficult standard to match, but so very different stylistically than a van Dael or Beyer. I still cling to Podger for her bounce, purity of tone, and joyousness, but of the HIP crowd, Mathews seems to most likely to approach this level of depth and concentration at her best, and Busch at least is a throwback to this sort of steady control. Huggett as well, with great virtuosity, but to my ears the least interesting so far.

--Jeff

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 18.03.2015 21:06, jrsnfld wrote:
> I'm not sure my tastes are similar to yours (so far I'm very happy
> with both Podger and Mullova), but perusing YT has "told" me so far
> that:

Thank you for the detailed survey.
--
Lionel Tacchini

[Lionel Tacchini]

On 17.03.2015 15:47, Lionel Tacchini wrote:
> On 17.03.2015 14:36, Terry wrote:
>> Notice how many of them are women!
>
> It seems men no longer get to make careers as soloists. Maybe there not
> what audiences want to see.

Browsing through Spotify, I find lots of men with recent Bach
recordings, so there does seem to be something else than a drying up of
the offer. Some of them are even bald.

Brian Brooks 2006
Luca Fantoni 2014
Rüdiger Lotter 2013
Sergiu Luca 2005
Attilio Motzo 2007
Tedi Papavrami 2005
Stanley Ritchie 2014
Scott Slapin 2006 - oops, no this is a viola player
Daniel Stepner 2013
Richard Togneti 2005

So none of them are up to the ladies?
--
Lionel Tacchini

[Lionel Tacchini]

Oh, and of course Hopkinson Smith, on some sort of plucked violin.

--
Lionel Tacchini

[Terry]

Many thanks -- a stimulating assessment. Good old Bach.

[Terry]

Sergiu Luca recorded his set in 1977, I think, so it's not so recent. If I recall correctly, he died only about four years ago. His is a good set, if a bit staid in the dances. But he was quite a pioneer. I think he may well have been the first to record with a violin set up almost in the baroque manner, his only deviation being a slightly longer fingerboard, and (equally importantly) a baroque bow.

[Dan Fowler]

I've listened to the Holloway recording a lot, and love it dearly for the
beautiful tone and clearly articulated rhythms. Holloway's recording would
be my first recommendation, followed by Mullova. I like some of Rachel
Podger's other Bach recordings, so I may listen to her recordings next. The
Ingrid Matthews rendition sounds intriguing as well.

As a reference point, some of my favored modern recordings include Ehnes,
Faust, and Milstein I though DG is also good.

Thanks to all for the informative discussion.
Dan

[Fred]

On Monday, 16 March 2015 16:36:23 UTC, Lionel Tacchini wrote:
> If one were to seek out a version of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for
> solo violin played by a violinist in the baroque style (aka HIP), which
> would be in the short list?
>
> A word about their main characteristics or reason for the recommendation
> would help of course.
>
> --
> Lionel Tacchini

Speaking as a violinist who can almost play all these pieces(!) and who had some lessons with a teacher who plays with HIP ensembles I've come to admire Podger's recording immensely. She's immensely skilful as a violinist and a terrific musician to boot. Some people find her approach anaemic but others will appreciate the musicianship and deep understanding she brings to the S & P.

I like the way Milstein plays the S & P too. Obviously he's pre-HIP but uses less vibrato than his peers and his incredibly technique and feel for the dance pave the way for the HIPsters.

[Terry]

"Anaemic" is the last word I'd be looking for, to characterise Podger's playing!

[gggg...@gmail.com]

Mullova made the following recent list:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/recommends/home.htm

[Terry]

Not all of them are HIP, though.

[Oscar]

I have the new Gil Shaham recording issued on his Canary Classics label. Will give a full report after I have had time to digest all of it a few times through. On first listen, this must be one of the fleetest readings I have heard.

Canary Classics CC14 ℗ © 2015.
Co-production with BR Klassik.
Recorded in Studio 2 at Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich, Germany, June 24-30 and July 1-3, 2014.
Executive producer for Bayerischer Rundfunk: Nikolaus Pont.
Producer and editing: Almut Telsnig.
Balance engineer: Gerhard Wicho.
Original recording format: 44.1kHz/24-bit.
Mastering: Andrew Walton, K&A Productions.
Cover photograph of Gil Shaham: Luke Ratray.
Photography: Marcia Ciriello.
Design and artwork: Annie Rushton.
Booklet note: Gil Shaham.
For more on Gil Shaham visit: http://www.gilshaham.com.
Total playing time: Disc 1 57:30, Disc 2 60:06.

Gil Shaham plays the Antonio Stradivarius violin "Countess Polignac" 1699 (Cremona, Italy), bridge by Adam Crane, bow by Marcus Laine.

[Oscar]

In the meantime, here's another transcription (by moi) from Monica Huggett's booklet note.

From Virgin Classics 5 45207 2:

<< A performer's view of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin

These pieces were probably written when Bach was in Weimar, just before he left to take up his position in Cöthen. For some time relations had been deteriorating between Bach and his employer in Weimar, Duke Wilhelm Ernst, who went into a fury when it became evident that Bach had accepted a new position at Cöthen without asking permission to leave. In what seems a very extreme reaction he imprisoned Bach between 6 November and 2 December 1717.

The German musicologist Helga Thoene contends that it was during this imprisonment that Bach composed these pieces. It is interesting to note that the title 'Sei Solo' is grammatically incorrect, and could mean in this form 'I am the One'; although I am not totally convinced by Thoene's analysis of the six works as a kind of hidden Mass. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Bach would have been working on something during the period, and as he was still an active violinist at this stage of his life it seems quite possible that he might have kept himself occupied by composing for his violin. I find this idea of the pieces' conception is commensurate with my feelings about the character of the music. With their diversity of style and rigorous contrapuntal movements, they are some of Bach's really great instrumental works, on a par with the Musical Offering or the Forty-eight Preludes and Fugues. Nevertheless it is a personal and intimate form of greatness, designed for the edification and enjoyment of the player and, perhaps, a few friends. We have become accustomed, particularly during the twentieth century, to performances which are designed for large concert halls, but such performances cannot properly reflect the interior spirituality of the sonatas or the gracious elegance of the partitas.

There are, however, several movements from these works which appear to me to have been originally conceived with an orchestra in mind. This is undoubtedly the case for the opening prelude of the third Partita: in 1731 Bach again used this solo part (transposed down a tone to D major and played on the organ) in the sinfonia to the cantata 'Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir' (BWV 29/i). The orchestra consists of strings, trumpets and timpani, and the effect is riotously exuberant. The first time I heard it I could hardly keep still in my seat. I am certain that originally the unaccompanied violin version would have been supported by similar orchestral forces, which would then suppress the curious aural 'tromp l'oeil' in the two bariolage passages, where it is virtually impossible to hear the beats of the bar on the right notes. Also the final Allegro in the C major Sonata is very likely another 'concertino' part that Bach decided was good enough to stand alone. It is very useful when performing these particular movements to keep the orchestra in the mind's eye, especially in reference to the bass. In a concertante rendering the basso continuo would make the listener's job easier by underpinning the harmony, but in a solo version the bass must always be given extra attention so that the balance between harmony and melody is not tipped too far in melody's favour. In fact this is the key to a satisfying rendering of the whole work. Sometimes the bass is hidden among a series of notes which appear to be melodic, and it then becomes the performer's job to identify the bass and give it the prominence it needs.

Another aspect which is crucial to consider when performing these works is the sound world inhabited by Bach. It is clear from historical written sources that in the seventeenth century the violin had a bright and resonant sound, and that in the eighteenth century it began its journey towards becoming a powerful sustaining instrument. I have endeavoured to aim towards a seventeenth-century sound since Corelli and other Italians would have supplied the models for many of the forms used by Bach. Added to this are a certain sweetness and a very resonant bass, which happily my 1618 Amati had naturally. The strong bass gives all the benefits that I mentioned earlier, whereas a bright treble gives clarity of articulation which is essential in the upper register to produced rhythmic precision in the dances and allegros.

Needless to say, we violinists have here a work which is the envy of all other instrumentalists, evident from the large number of arrangements to have been made. The fame of the music is not always transmitted into frequent listenings (except in the case of the Chaconne) because the pieces can come across as technical tours de force of interest mainly to violinists. In this recording I have tried to dwell less on the virtuosic aspects in favour of a more purely musical interpretation.

— Monica Huggett, 1997 >>

Virgin Classics 'Veritas' 5 45207 2 2CD ℗ © 1997.
Recorded in The Warehouse, Theed Street, London, September-December 1995, except Partita No.1: St. Paul's Church, Harefield, Middlesex.
Producer: Emilia Benjamin, except Partita No.2, tracks 1-4: Sarah Cunningham.
Balance engineer: Tony Faulkner.
Instrument: violin by Antonius and Hieronymous Amati, 1618, bow early 18th C. model by Luis Emilio Rodriguez Carrington

[ljk...@aol.com]

On Monday, March 16, 2015 at 11:36:23 AM UTC-5, Lionel Tacchini wrote:
> If one were to seek out a version of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for
> solo violin played by a violinist in the baroque style (aka HIP), which
> would be in the short list?
>
> A word about their main characteristics or reason for the recommendation
> would help of course.
>
> --
> Lionel Tacchini

Helene Schmitt -- On the free side rhythmically, which bothers some, but if I could pick one term to describe these performances, they sound "inhabited" rather than interpreted. The sense of involvement, on the part of this listener and (he assumes) on the part of Schmitt, is almost trance-like in its intensity, though not in any spacy New Age-y manner.

[Herman]

On Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 5:30:25 PM UTC+2, Oscar wrote:


> Added to this are a certain sweetness and a very resonant bass, which happily my 1618 Amati had naturally.

except that sometime in the 19th C a bass bar was installed against the violin's tummy and a sound post.

[howie...@btinternet.com]

I should listen to it again. I remember thinking that her way of playing in the big fugues was hard to follow.

[gggg...@gmail.com]

According to the following:

- In the notes to his historically-informed readings (Nonesuch 73030), Sergiu Luca not only derides Telmanyi's bow as grotesque but goes on to dispel as myth any attempt to treat Bach's writing as chordal....

http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics/partitas.html

[howie...@btinternet.com]

I'll try to hear Emil Telmanyi, I didn't know of it before.

I like Ida Haendel a lot, it's good to see her get such a glowing review.

[graham]

I think the sound post and bass bar were there when the violins were
first made otherwise they wouldn't have made much sound. The bass bar
was enlarged in C19 to cope with the increasing string tension.
Graham
--

[Terry]

On Tuesday, 17 March 2015 03:36:23 UTC+11, Lionel Tacchini wrote:
> If one were to seek out a version of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for
> solo violin played by a violinist in the baroque style (aka HIP), which
> would be in the short list?
>
> A word about their main characteristics or reason for the recommendation
> would help of course.
>
> --
> Lionel Tacchini

It seems like only a week or two since this was last discussed, so if you're able to check the archives, it could be worthwhile.

If not, my list is:

Christine Busch
Rachel Podger
Amandine Beyer
Sigiswald Kuijken
Elizabeth Wallfisch
Viktoria Mullova
Pavlo Beznosiuk
Sergiu Luca
Lucy van Dael

My criteria are that the dances should sound like dances, and the counterpoint should be as clear as crystal. All the above are beautifully recorded.

[Oscar]

On Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 8:28:32 AM, Oscar wrote:
>
> I have the new Gil Shaham recording issued on his Canary Classics label. Will give a full report after
> I have had time to digest all of it a few times through. On first listen, this must be one of the fleetest
> readings I have heard.

Really liking what I've heard, played it through once. However, Shaham has opted for standard tuning, even though he uses, as Christopher Hogwood's AAM albums used to say, an "authentic instrument". For the sake of our list, does this rule him out as HIP? I think it does.

[gggg...@gmail.com]

On Monday, March 16, 2015 at 9:36:23 AM UTC-7, Lionel Tacchini wrote:
> If one were to seek out a version of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for
> solo violin played by a violinist in the baroque style (aka HIP), which
> would be in the short list?
>
> A word about their main characteristics or reason for the recommendation
> would help of course.
>
> --
> Lionel Tacchini

According to this:

- In practical terms, [HIP] translates to things like using gut strings instead of nylon or steel when playing music written before the early 20th century, identifying at what pitch compositions were originally played, and using original manuscripts and treatises as guides on how to play a given repertoire. It is in many people's opinion at the core of what the early music movement is about.

https://www.cbc.ca/music/why-the-world-needs-more-bach-1.5215390