Bach: Sonatas & Partitas

Violinist has recorded 's sonatas and partitas for solo violin three times. In the interview-format booklet (it is apparently a self-interview), he says that in his first recording, "I was totally reckless, in the surge of youth." This reading isn't exactly reckless, but when it comes to tempo rubato in the dance movements, still goes farther out onto the edge than most other violinists. Sample the opening Allemande of the . The great Chaconne in the , he has good control over the long line, aided by a Baroque bow that enables agility in the complex double- and triple-stopping. He also uses pure gut strings, which have a rich, attractive sheen. The pitch, owing to a detail in the construction of 's 1710 , is a'=440 hz, not a lower Baroque pitch. Perhaps the best way of looking at this reading is that it deftly combines traits from the historical performance movement with those from the golden-age violin tradition. A major attraction is the sound from , recorded fairly close-up in an idiomatic abbey space that respects the music's intimate dimensions. Amid a flood of new recordings of these pieces, 's manages distinctive qualities. ~ James Manheim