Customer Reviews

Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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? :-)

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.

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.

Channel Classics has pulled off a remarkable feat in following up its 1998 issue of Peter Wispelwey's baroque version of the Bach Cello Suites with its 1999 issue of Rachel Podger's baroque version of the Bach Violin Sonatas and Partitas. If Wispelwey's is the most technically dazzling of the large field of Bach's unaccompanied cello recordings, Podger's is perhaps the most introspective and graceful of the equally large array of Bach's unaccompanied violin recordings.

Rachel Podger gives a no-frills account that goes deep inside Bach's sonatas and partitas. You hear long lines in these great works that are often obscured by others. She weaves phrases together seamlessly, into a sumptuous flow. She draws you in to these extraordinary meditations; then she leaves you in blissful silence.

If you have many other versions of the Bach sonatas and partitas, this one will complement the others beautifully. If you have none, this could be the only one you need.

Rachel Podger's sound is refreshing and crisp. She plays with a great delicacy and grace and every bit of Bach's emotion rings through with incredible sensitivity. You will not regret buying the CD.

If you enjoy her approach to Bach you may also want to check out Yo-Yo Ma's, "Bach: The Cello Suites Inspired By Bach, From The Six-Part Film Series" and John McArthur's, "HIDDEN."

I have long been searching for the "perfect" performance of J.S. Bach's SONATAS & PARTITAS for violin solo. They are absolutely gorgeous pieces of music and, for some reason, there is not really a first class, definitive recording of them. Certainly the first that I owned with Jascha Heifetz was not to my liking: the sound was muddy which made the famous violinist appear to have no technique whatsoever. The sound is alot better on the set played by Itzhak Perlman and until I heard this new recording with Rachel Podger, the Perlman was my recording of choice.

Podger's name is brand new to me; I had not heard of her until I read some of her reviews in a few British classical music magazines. They raved about her flawless technique and sweet sound. I bought both volumes of the SONATAS AND PARTITAS and they are, indeed, very special. Firstly, Podger plays on a baroque violin made in Genoa in 1739. The sound is really quite different from what we are used to in a concert hall or in recordings. I'll leave the precise description to other, better qualified listeners/reviewers, but to my ears it is a beautiful, full, rich sound made crystal clear in the recording by Channel Classics.

The music, of course, is spirited and emotional, riviting, calming, joyful and contemplative. It is Bach at his purest. And this is a recording to treasure. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This is a WONDERFUL recording and it is highly unlikely that the "slips" were not part of Podger's interpretation of Bach - something that seems to change almost daily as new musicological findings are made. Podger deserves as much of a following and reputation as other violinists receive and there will be no need to replace these discs in the future even if someone else does record them.

Highly recommended. Well produced, and the baroque violin sounds gorgeous in Podger's hands. I also have volume 2 to complete the set. In the HIP (historically informed performance) tradition, Podger's interpretations are sublime. However, Arthur Grumiaux's non-HIP performance of the same works is still my favorite, a Philips Duo Set recording.

After securing J.S. Bach's Brandenburg concertos and violin concertos for one's collection, with regard to solo instruments, the sonatas and partitas for solo violin are the most desirable of JSB's works, followed, IMHO, by the suites for solo Cello (Fournier, my favorite) and the Goldberg variations for harpsichord. (I prefer piano versions of the latter, and though I have Gould's early 80's recording of the Goldbergs, I enjoy Chen Pi-hsien's version as much or more.)

Admittedly, with regard to the sonatas and partitas for solo violin being reviewed here, when I allow my hand to freely and unconsciously choose among the sets I own (Ouiga board like, if readers remember Ouiga boards!) I will go for the Philips Duo set by Grumiaux every time. My spouse's experience, however, is the opposite. So to be fair, if you have Podger and Grumiaux, you can't go wrong.

For those people such as myself that have long appreciated solo classical works, this album will be a welcome addition to any collection, perhaps redefining how Bach solo violin should sound. Ms. Podger reaches levels of warmth and expressiveness in her interpretation of these Bach "standards" that surpass anything else I've heard.

The real accomplishment of this recording, however, may be its appeal to those listeners who have previously never listened to solo recordings of this type. Podger's style is so appealing, even people who usually avoid classical music altogether will find themselves entranced by her playing (the complex harmony and counterpoint of J.S. Bach doesn't hurt either). Highly recommended.

I don't know about the traffic noises someone was mentioning -- my equipment is pretty good (a good step up from bose) and I've played this loudly and a million times and never heard it ...

As for the playing itself, I generally like very modern "classical" music or very early music (baroque or pre-baroque). I'm not an expert about classical music by any means (as some of the other reviewers seem to be). But I've never been so obsessed with a classical music disc -- I think I played it and only it for about a week straight. There are a few times when I have seen or heard performances so stunning that I think, I would love to inhabit the body of this person when he/she is performing, and I think I would feel like I had a line straight to god if I could inhabit RP's body when she plays some of the pieces on this disc. Off to buy volume II ...