Customer Reviews

Bach: Violin Concertos

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Five WONDERFUL Stars!! Superb performances! Award-winning German violin virtuoso Julia Fischer once again demonstrates her great empathy with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach performing his violin concertos on her Decca debut. Here she records with the vaunted Academy of St Martin in the Fields chamber group with whom she has previously recorded and toured, but this time sans conductor, as Fischer herself ascends to the role of leader. Ms Fischer in an interview says she is "Playing for the people of the 21st Century" and she respectfully puts her stamp on these incandescent performances. The 25 year old Ms Fischer has loved and played Bach from age 4, won the Yehudi Menuhin violin competition at age 11 (with special prize for the Best Bach solo), and most recently she recorded J.S. Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001-1006.

This CD presents different facets for the listener to enjoy: Julia's individual interpretations, her duo interaction with oboe and second violin, and A.S.M. group dynamics, all courtesy of the awesome genius of Bach. Ms Fischer's beautiful sound and bowed fireworks are well-integrated into the orchestra emerging from alongside the tutti as principal voice and then blending back again. The 'piece de resistance' is the Double Violin Concerto. The second violinist is Fischer's friend and former Menuhin competitor Sasha Sitkovetsky and they make wonderful ethereal music on their similar time-frame Guadagnini violins, especially the Allegro and Largo Ma non Tanto movements which are contrapuntally mesmerizing. But there is so much more, such as the stately elegance in the Andante movement and the Allegro Assai of the concerto in A minor. The lyrical beauty of the Adagio movement of Violin Concerto No 2 has Ms Fischer's purity of tone set against the continuo. In the D minor concerto for oboe, strings, and violin, the oboist is the superb Andrey Rubtsov and with Ms Fischer the concerto becomes one of pure exultation in the two Allegro movements and placid beauty in the Adagio movement. Julia Fischer is one of the supreme interpreters of Bach and among the most brilliant violin virtuosos of this century. Kudos to Julia, guests, and the A.S.M: great colloborations!! My Highest Recommendation. Five BIG Stars.
(This review is based on an iTunes Plus download)
Trivia: Julia Fischer has won all 8 competitions that she entered: 5 in classical violin and 3 in classical piano. Quite a feat!)

The refined musicianship and insightful temperament of the young star violinist Julia Fischer could not avoid anymore recording some of the towering Baroque masterpieces - namely, four concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach with the violin involvement. (She finally did it in London, for DECCA, in 2008 paired by a high-quality chamber orchestra.) Her affinity with Bach's output proves more than a passing interest, a fashionable approach or a mere caprice for showing a different and, of course, modern Bach. Being much more than all these, this rendition by Julia Fischer is the sound expression of a deep understanding, and even empathy, for the vivid yet extremely rigorous Bachian textures, for their spirit shaped in Gothic sobriety and aspiration for highness; for that solemnity interspersed with human feelings such as melancholy, passion, wit, playfulness. For Fischer's playful style mirrors Bach's joyful thoughts of music and his unique manner of building mighty, everlasting harmonies. Bach's intimate feelings and thoughts get conveyed through Fischer's sensitivity and exquisite mastery. Moreover, Julia confesses she has been playing some of these concertos (the A minor one) since she was 5. And this long-term affair can be sensed in her actual interpretation. She displays alertness in outer movements, restraint in Adagios or Largos, fine balance in getting the proper nuances, delicate yet incandescent phrasing throughout. The sound of her Guadagnini-1742 violin borders on magic. Maybe, some will argue against such brisk tempos, but the effect is rather refreshing than tiring or pure technical. The music simply breathes with a speed properly to XXIst century, where Julia Fischer actually belongs.
The chamber players supplying here the orchestral support is the worldwide acclaimed Academy of St Martin in the Fields - one of the foremost chamber ensembles with an impressive visit-card in the genre. The soloists gathering Fischer on this CD are Sasha Sitkovetsky (violin) in Concerto for two violins BWV 1043, and Andrey Rubtsov (oboe) in Concerto for oboe and violin BWV 1060, respectively.

In all, a modern reading of Bach owed to a violinist who made him hers by keeping the voice of Baroque but imposing the rhythms of our time.

As a previous reviewer noted, Fischer decided to take the outer movements faster than is typical. For me, this meant that, after beginning to listen to the brisk first movement of the D minor Double, it wasn't quite love at first listen. The ear can rebel against what it's not used to. However, I soon came to appreciate Fischer's approach and style, and I became a fan of this disc. I found the E major in particular -- a piece you might think you know all too well -- to be unexpectedly exciting, and, in the slow movement, just gorgeous. The danger with speed on these is that one risks sapping them of their inherent drama and beauty. Some self-consciously period-correct recordings I've heard fall into this trap, and the result is awfully noisy and unattractive. Fischer and her fellow performers, with this non-period recording, avoid this pitfall with perfect precision, balance, and appropriately restrained, just-right sensitivity.

Fischer says in the liner notes that she is seeking to emphasize a neglected virtuosic aspect to these concertos -- hence the speed -- but also to blend with the ensemble where appropriate, and not to indulge in romantic affect, which can be tempting because some of this music -- the slow movement of the D minor Double in particular -- is very beautiful. All of this bespeaks an intelligent and distinctive approach that successfully walks the line between respect for period style and the the nature of the music on the one hand, and the undeniable fact that, as she says, this is being played for 21st century ears on the other. Fischer seems to be saying, you're allowed to have fun and be creative and impressive with these, but this is still Bach, so keep your wits about you.

It makes sense that Fischer would approach the music in this way. If you're already familiar with Fischer, I don't need to say that she's not just the hot soloist of the moment with dazzling technical chops, but a thoughtful and mature musician as well, characterized by fidelity, sensitivity, and uncanny control in the service of the music. With this disc, these qualities that make her the one to watch are on full display, and it's well worth adding to the shelf, whether as a supplement to other recordings you may have, an introduction to these essential works, or as a new go-to standard. If we were in the days of LP's, I'd already be wearing mine out! Enjoy.

Folks: I'm going against the grain of prior reviewers here, but be aware, if you like the outer movements of Bach's Concertos played at a somewhat more leisurely pace then this disc might disappoint. To me they are being played at breakneck speed. I'm left with enjoying the beauty of the playing in the slow movements but cannot listen to the the concertos as a whole and say these have a special place. For me, the sheer speed disfigures the music.

Until a few weeks ago, Julia Fischer was an unknown violinist to me. I have fallen in love with her playing. These concertos are crisp, precise, quick, light, and full of the spirit of dance. There is a wonderful balance between early performance style and expressivity. Fischer does a wonderful job of varying the color of repeated themes and phrases within a coherent vision of the pieces. It helps her case, of course, that she is playing with the sublime Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, which clearly shares her approach to these concertos.

A few reviewers have already noted that Fischer takes the outer movements of these pieces rather fast and it is true. For example, comparing her first-movement speeds with those of Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman in the same program (Sony SMK 66 471):

Concerto --- Fischer --- Stern/Perlman

a-minor --- 3'28 --- 4'14
E-Major --- 7'16 --- 8'34
double --- 3'29 --- 3'59

These are significant tempo differences, but I must say I like both interpretations. I also do not get the feeling that Fischer is rushing, for her style is rather light-hearted, sprightly, dance-like. The slow movements are closer to standard and are lovely, her tone clear, full, beautiful. I have many recordings of these works; this one rises immediately to the favorites level. Very highly recommended.

Of course I'm quite familiar with the Bach violin concertos, but I never had heard them played by Ms. Fischer. I started listening to this album late last night, with the full intention of listening to a couple of tracks and then going to sleep. I'm happy to say that Ms Fischer and the ASM kept me up very late... Like all great artists, Ms Fischer takes us into her world when she plays, and lets us hear the composer as she hears him. I kept getting an impression of simplicity and clarity from her playing, which is of course a tribute to her artistry. This is no period performance; it is simply a supremely talented young woman who loves Bach, playing Bach the best way she knows how. ASM is superb as usual, but this is clearly Ms Fischer's show.
Some people seem to have a hard time forgiving Julia Fischer for being young and beautiful, but I, for one, celebrate this lovely goddess of the violin.
I look forward to whatever she chooses to do next.
Comment 11 days later:
After a couple of weeks of listening, I continue to be impressed with this lovely album. Continued listening has led me to appreciate the supporting cast even more than I did in my first impression. What a marvelous age we live in where technology lets us enjoy beauty like this whenever the whim strikes us :)

Julia Fischer strikes me as the new Anne-Sophie Mutter, and my previous favourite version of these 3 gorgeous concerti was the Mutter one with Salvatore Accardo and the ECO, recorded when Frl. Mutter was about three-and-a-half. So, I played them one against the other - and I'm torn. Both ladies play with precision and flair and joy, and are absolutely ear-ravishing, and in the end, to me there is overall nothing to choose between them. Neither uses a baroque violin, but this is music for the ages, not to be straitjacketed with period performance considerations.

However, the thing that for me makes the big difference is the recording quality. This version has a nice, crisp recording, whereas the ECO in the Mutter version (now pretty ancient admittedly) sounds congested, as if all the fiddlers were forced to stand and play in the corner for being naughty boys and girls.

I bought this recording at intermission after hearing Ms Fischer play with the Academy St. Martin in the Fields at the Vilar Center in Beaver Creek a couple of weeks ago. It was magical to be in such a small theatre with ASM and Julia Fischer's playing of Bach was riveting. We listened to this recording solidly for the next week and loved it each time. Highly recommended.

This is a highly recommended CD. For me it is a fusion of idiomatic Baroque playing and the best of "Romantic" (for want of a better term) Baroque playing. The production is excellent and the beautiful warm solo playing by Julia Fischer, not to mention the outstanding ensemble of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, makes it an outstanding performance. Fischer's violin playing is sublime and brings out the best in these Concerti. I particularly love the slow movements for their measured and never hurried tempi, and the subtle nuances and exquisite tone of Julia Fischer's violin playing. I look forward to hearing a lot more from this superb artist.