Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1 [Import]

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
• Audio CD (June 8, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Channel Classics Nl
• ASIN: B00000J7YS
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #251,483 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About Time, December 19, 1999

By 

Andres Sender (N. CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

I'd been hoping for a Podger recording of the solo works by Bach ever since hearing her on a few of the Palladian Ensemble CDs. I like the Kuijken recordings but Podger's very 'vocal' articulation and note-shaping made me hope for something I would like even more.

I've been listening to this CD for several months now, and I find it to be more than I'd hoped.

There is a sense of liquidity to Podger's playing that comes from both the minute agile sense of detail she can bring to the shape of a single note, and the consistent interconnectedness and flow which she preserves throughout the pieces, regardless of interpretive pushing and pulling or strong articulation. Her tone adds to the effect by being a little sweet, without being monochromatic.

I am particularly happy with her interpretive shaping. There is always a kind of tug of war in any performance, between the essential character and pulse of the piece, and the esthetic exaggerations and accents which are used to 'bring it to life'. My favorite performing artists are the ones who seem most able to pull in both directions at the same time, working them together while maximizing the expressive tensions of the piece.

A well-conceived interpretation rewards repeated listening with layer after layer of new discoveries and revelations; Rachel Podger's Bach is a series of integrated flowing gems cut with clarity and artistry to reveal structured and seemingly inexhaustible depths.

Did I mention that I was a fan? :-)

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine performance, September 6, 1999

By 

Matt Holcomb (Irvine, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

When listening to a piece for an unaccompanied solo instrument, the music's mood, the fluidity, the dynamic equilibrium, the evenness, rest in one mind interpreting, in one set of fingers playing, and it seems that either the performer can realize and interpret the composer's dream or he/she cannot. With Bach, these rules are exponentially compounded, as the solo instrument becomes a vehicle for a rich polyphonous composer to have a dialogue: a dialogue with the sounds of itself. This poses a problem for many players attempting to tackle Bach's works for solo instrument. Performances either tend to fall in slop and disaster, or they shine.

Podger's performance is just short of being perfect. Her articulation is crisp and clean, that means no sloppy bow or fretmanship, and her sense of rhythm and tempo is balanced with the unity of the whole always kept sharply in focus. There are only a few places, and I say a few, that her focus slips, but they are most likely interpretive choices.

Until Andrew Manze performs the sonatas and partitas, Rachael Podger's performance will rein as the finest period interpretation, if not the finest interpretation on the market. The second and concluding volume will be much anticipated.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old J.S. Would Be Proud, June 7, 2000

By 

Good Bye - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

Beware! This is a very seductive and dangerous recording. It will very likely cause you to demand more from all future performances of J.S. Bach's Sonatas and Partitas than you have ever previously demanded.

Miss Podger's playing is exquisite. Subtle yet strong, she can rightfully be said to have produced one of the finest recordings of the pieces ever yet heard, rivaling those of the great masters and even, dare it be written, surpassing them. However, the artist is only part of the performance, the other part is her magnificent instrument.

A true baroque violin. Few aficionados of baroque music will miss the superior sound of it. It is the softness of the gut strings; vastly superior to those harsh steel wrapped things. The sound does not strike the ear, it caresses it. Truly, such experiences in life are few or more pleasant.

In an industry that seems destined to hurl itself headlong over the cliff of mediocrity chasing popularity in pursuit of financial gain, this simple recording stands alone as a true testament to the passion of one woman for one instrument. Bravo to Rachel Podger! Bravo to Channel Classics. Together may they thrive and save the soul of the industry.