Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Nathan Milstein (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Nathan Milstein
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
• Audio CD (February 10, 1998)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001H00
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,128 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #72 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Sonatas
  • #84 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Strings > Violin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving account, January 21, 2005

By 

N. Haggin (Illinois, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (Audio CD)

Before buying this recording, I had not heard or heard of Nathan Milstein; now that I have I thank God I was allowed to hear him before I die. It is not the only recording of the Bach solo violin music worth knowing, but it is a must-have if you love it.

The sheer energy of these performances is remarkable, and it is not generated exclusively by tempo; what should be fast is fast, and what should be slow is slow. Milstein's tone is beautiful, clear and warm, and well-presented by the DG engineers. I am convinced by his phrasing, although I am no expert on this matter. There are one or two places where his intonation wavers just a trifle, but I don't mind that; utterly perfect performances usually bore me. I will accept a couple surface flaws if the performance is intellectually exciting or emotionally involving, and Milstein's is both.

One key consideration in any complete recording of Bach's solo violin music is how the performer handles the D-minor partita; some will mentally "detach" the Chaconne and think about it independently of the other movements, which makes the partita as a whole suffer. Milstein does not make this mistake; the Chaconne feels like it really *does* belong with the other movements.

An excellent recording. Not definitive, but then I don't think you can have a single definitive performance of this glorious music.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overwhelming, May 6, 2005

By 

Robert Thomas "thomastoons" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (Audio CD)

Having heard these pieces a million times by various artists, I purchased the Milstein set. Upon receiving it, my wife suggested going straight to the center of the oreo cookie and listen to the chaconne from partita #2.

After sitting quietly for 14 minutes in stunned silence listening to Milstein saw away at one of the most gorgeous sounding violins these ears have ever heard, we looked at each other and said absolutely nothing.

At that moment it was clear that we had witnessed something truly miraculous. Such absolute control over this collosal work has rarely been heard. Most violinists struggle to move heaven and earth while negotiating the considerable difficulties involved but Milstein plays as though he's got technique to burn, like a Ferrari doing 25mph in a school zone.

Since then, I've obviously heard the entire album and although I must admit it is not my favorite recording, it is by far one of the most powerful and moving accounts on disk. The reason it is not my favorite is because I prefer a smaller sound and less drama in my Bach, a personal preference that all may not share. Listening to Milstein play Bach, as opposed to say, Aaron Rosand, is like listening to Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra as opposed to say, Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music. Hearing Ormandy's ultra-lush, romantic sounding Bach or Handel is just plain wrong, I tell myself, yet it is a delightful indulgence comparable to eating a 16 ounce bar of my wife's finest swiss chocolate, a sin I've been guilty of.

By the way, don't tell my wife I said that. She may take away my Milstein, just to even the score.

Highly Recommended Bach.

Enjoy.

39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The EMI version from the 50s is the definitive, May 16, 2005

By 

Peter Lavezzoli (Ft. Lauderdale, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (Audio CD)

Bach is my favorite composer, and of all Bach's works, the Goldberg Variations, and these solo violin sonatas/partitas, are my "desert island" works. I've listened to many recordings of these sonatas/partitas, from Yehudi Menuhin to Jascha Heifetz, Grumiaux, Perlman, Podger, and others. Milstein's survey from the 1950s on EMI stands as my favorite, in comparison with his DG rendition in the 1970s.

I had a conversation with one of the editors of the Penguin guide about these recordings, and Milstein was also his favorite, but he preferred the 70s DG version for reasons of sound quality and technical brilliance. I countered that the EMI Milstein set from the 50s was superior for the depth of insight brought to these pieces. Nathan Milstein was in his absolute prime when he first recorded this survey in the 50s. His insights into Bach are pure, with the required delicacy in slow movements, the right touch of silence here and there to let the music breathe, without being CONSPICUOUSLY slow, such as the Perlman set, which tends to drag at times. His fugues are perfectly light on their feet, his rhythms perfectly sprung, without making it a horse race. In short, Milstein stays out of the way of Bach in every moment of the EMI set, and we are face to face with the composer. But in this DG set from the 1970s, Milstein seems to be rushing through some passages (as does Grumiaux), with more regard for "technical brilliance" as the Penguin editor cited, instead of pure musicality and reverence of Bach. I have listened to both Milstein versions, and this DG recording simply does not reach down into the depths of Bach in the same way.

The Jascha Heifetz rendition is also outstanding, but when you listen to it, you know that it's about Heifetz, not so much about Bach. Now, Heifetz was indeed the best of the best, in terms of his technical mastery. The one segment where Heifetz wins me over from everyone else is in the mighty Chaconne from Partita 2. In this Mount Everest of solo violin, Heifetz takes you on an exhilarating ride that leaves you speechless. I have never heard the Chaconne played with such fearless power and confidence than from Heifetz. For that one segment alone, I bow to him above all others. He was indeed the best.

But Heifetz himself always heaped praise upon Nathan Milstein, which was exceedingly rare. Heifetz never praised anyone! Heifetz always demanded that his students go to see Milstein perform. If his students didn't go, they'd be in trouble! So Milstein certainly commanded a great deal of respect from Heifetz. And when you hear Milstein play the mighty Chaconne, he almost has the supreme technical mastery of Heifetz. Not quite, but almost. However, once again, when you hear the Heifetz version, you are hearing Heifetz, the master. When you hear the (50s EMI) Milstein version, you are hearing Bach.

I invite the listener to compare one specific movement between these two Milstein versions, and then make their own decision. Listen very carefully to the opening Grave movement from Sonata 2 in A Minor. Compare and contrast the depth of insight in the 50s version on EMI, and the 70s version on DG. You will most likely come to the same conclusion as I did after making my own comparison. Then compare other movements throughout the set, but start with that one. For me, there is no doubt. The 50s set is pure, unadulterated Bach at its finest. No other violinist came closer to the heart of this beautiful music than Milstein did in the 1950s. Even HE didn't get as close to it when he remade this music later in his life. And by the way, in terms of sound quality, the EMI set from the 50s is perfect! There is no cavernous reverb, just the pure unadulterated sound of Milstein's violin, so clean and clear that he is right there in the room with you. The two words I always come away with after listening to the 50s Milstein set on EMI are "intimacy" and "insight."