Bach's Violin Sonatas & Partitas (solo)

Started by MISHUGINA, December 16, 2007, 01:46:47 AM

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violinlands

Quote from: carlos on December 16, 2007, 07:41:36 AM
Szering's recording for Odyssey-Columbia for me.
But listen to the third sonata recorded by 13 years
old Menuhin.

I agree with Carlos 100 percent. The early recordings of the Sonatas and Partitas remain unsurpassed. He got his Bach grounding from another great violinist Georges Enesco. We get the best of both worlds with their Bach Double Concert. The tragedy is that many here are too young to have heard the wonderful sound that came from his 78rmp. In most instances the CD transfer does not begin to give the the glorious sound that came from Menuhin's violin playing. The unique Menuhin sound is encapsulated in his 1934 version of Schubert's Ave Maria.
Musicologist/Violin Historian,Author,University Lecturer and CD reviewer. Founder of Masters of the Bow podcast and live radio

Coopmv

While I have Bach's violin works by Julia Fischer and Viktoria Mullova, I continue to come back to those by Henryk Szeryng and Arthur Grumiaux.  These old masters were outstanding violin virtuosos ...

SonicMan46

Quote from: DavidRoss on April 22, 2009, 07:46:08 AM
As most probably know already, Mullova has now recorded the complete Bach Sonatas & Partitas for solo violin, available on the new Onyx label:
....................


David - thanks for the comments - I have both Mullova & Podger coming in the mail of these works - lookin' forward to the experience - Dave  :)


Bunny

On modern violin, Christian Tetzlaff's excellent 1993 recording of the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (Virgin Classics) is available in a box set which is probably the best bargain of all as it includes Ralph Kirshbaum's excellent recording of Bach's Cello Suites as well.  Tetzlaff's first recording of the Bach is excellent, and imo better than his later one for Hännsler.  It's usually available very inexpensively (usually around $20 for 4 discs), so there's no reason not to have this on your shelves as well. 



Antoine Marchand

#46
IMO the Sonatas and Partitas by Hélène Schmitt should be strongly recommended too.

She has a beautiful and fleshy tone, extraordinarily well recorded on Alpha Records.

Her approach is rather personal and imaginative, not dry or academic.

The Alpha Records site provides two mp3 generous examples in these links:

CD1 http://www.fugalibera.com/readmorecd.php?id=178

CD2 http://www.fugalibera.com/readmorecd.php?id=186

FideLeo

Quote from: Antoine Marchand on April 23, 2009, 11:32:54 AM

Her approach is rather personal and imaginative, not dry or academic.


I would agree with you on that - an occasional listen now and then is truly refreshing.  In a 2007 review in Early Music (written by David Irving) on "Bach Unaccompanied," she was grouped with John Holloway as "Baroque specialists" (in contrast with Jacqueline Ross and Richard Tognetti as crossovers who play on both period and modern instruments).  Irving's sympathies appear to be with the baroque specialists.
HIP for all and all for HIP! Harpsichord for Bach, fortepiano for Beethoven and pianoforte for Brahms!

jlaurson

#48
FYI, chaps:

Viktoria Mullova's Bach
http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=563

Quote...With first impressions manifesting themselves as hardened opinions, the differences between her and Tetzlaff, which I originally thought would be small despite Mullova's quasi-HIP approach, became ever more obvious. Painfully so, after a while. After a while, the audio quality of the Hänssler recording gives you the impression of being thrown back 25 years. And the interpretation becomes more and more uninteresting. Not skipping ahead whenever it was Tetzlaff's turn grew ever more difficult. When Mullova came back on (say, with the A minor Fuga after Tetzlaff's Grave), it felt like relief...


Bach, Sonatas & Partitas
Viktoria Mullova
Onyx 4040

Coopmv

This is one of my all-time favorites ...


jlaurson

Quote from: Coopmv on June 06, 2009, 05:48:22 PM
This is one of my all-time favorites ...



Strange. That has to be my least favorite Grumiaux recording and one of my least favorite S&P.
Incredibly bland. Like Vanilla pudding without the flavor.
Have you got Milstein?

Que

Quote from: jlaurson on June 07, 2009, 02:04:51 AM
Strange. That has to be my least favorite Grumiaux recording and one of my least favorite S&P.
Incredibly bland. Like Vanilla pudding without the flavor.

Agreed. Though I'm aware that amongst many this is a favourite.

QuoteHave you got Milstein?

Ditto. :) But his earlier cycle for Capitol (now on EMI) is quite different from his later old-age DG cycle - I prefer the former. Also breathtaking is his '35 recording of Partita no. 2 (on Biddulph LAB 055, "Nathan Milstein, the early Columbia recordings, Baroque masterpieces")

Q

Coopmv

Quote from: jlaurson on June 07, 2009, 02:04:51 AM
Strange. That has to be my least favorite Grumiaux recording and one of my least favorite S&P.
Incredibly bland. Like Vanilla pudding without the flavor.
Have you got Milstein?

No, I do not have one single Milstein's recording, on LP or on CD.  I grew up in classical music with Szeryng and Grumiaux.

jlaurson

Quote from: Que on June 07, 2009, 02:20:41 AM

Ditto. :) But his earlier cycle for Capitol (now on EMI) is quite different from his later old-age DG cycle - I prefer the former. Also breathtaking is his '35 recording of Partita no. 2 (on Biddulph LAB 055, "Nathan Milstein, the early Columbia recordings, Baroque masterpieces")

Whaaa? You prefer the EMI recordings? Hmmm, well... That surprises me. Sloppy readings... I didn't, after hesitating for a second, think I needed to specify which Milstein I meant.  ;D


Quote from: Coopmv on June 07, 2009, 04:42:28 AM
No, I do not have one single Milstein's recording, on LP or on CD.  I grew up in classical music with Szeryng and Grumiaux.


Undoubtedly your loss. In many instances. (Though Szeryng's S&P is a fine recording that I'd never scoff at.)  
Milstein is one of the bona-fide greats. Like Szerying & Grumiaux... although I'd put him ahead of either in soloistic terms.
(And, with few exceptions, wherever there's Heifetz, Oistrakh, & Miltein to choose from, I prefer M over O over H.)
Try his old recording: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2005/07/budget-picks-no-3.html For $3,- you could get worse introductions to Milstein.

Coopmv

Quote from: jlaurson on June 07, 2009, 05:14:49 AM
Whaaa? You prefer the EMI recordings? Hmmm, well... That surprises me. Sloppy readings... I didn't, after hesitating for a second, think I needed to specify which Milstein I meant.  ;D



Undoubtedly your loss. In many instances. (Though Szeryng's S&P is a fine recording that I'd never scoff at.)  
Milstein is one of the bona-fide greats. Like Szerying & Grumiaux... although I'd put him ahead of either in soloistic terms.
(And, with few exceptions, wherever there's Heifetz, Oistrakh, & Miltein to choose from, I prefer M over O over H.)
Try his old recording: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2005/07/budget-picks-no-3.html For $3,- you could get worse introductions to Milstein.


I suppose one reason I have never ventured into recordings by Milstein is my primary focus has always been on baroque and there are already many outstanding violinists that specialize in this subgenre of classical music ...

snyprrr


Bulldog

Quote from: Coopmv on June 07, 2009, 05:27:42 AM
I suppose one reason I have never ventured into recordings by Milstein is my primary focus has always been on baroque and there are already many outstanding violinists that specialize in this subgenre of classical music ...

But Milstein specialized in it as much as Szerying and Grumiaux.

Dr. Dread

I have Milstein's '70s set. I need another one but never seem to get around to it. Maybe something that complements the Milstein nicely.

Philoctetes

My vote goes to the impassioned Enescu. Though I also enjoy Podger's a lot, as well.

premont

Quote from: snyprrr on August 21, 2009, 12:31:34 PM
Anyone know Karl Suske on Berlin-label?

Yes, and he is one of my modern instruments favorites. Clean, noble and without idiosyncrasies.
Not unlike Kaler.
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