Bach Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin
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Bach Buy New: $13.99 |
No other performance or recording of
the Unaccompanied Sonatas and Partitas
for violin has pleased me more than this
recording by Szeryng. The playing is
effortless, the lines are intact, and
every idea is presented in a compelling
and developed way. This is Bach that has
been eaten for breakfast, lunch, and
dinner for years. This recording stands
well against more recent ones; even the
recording quality is comparable. While
other artists have fine recordings of
one or several of the movements, this
recording by Szeryng distinguishes
itself by presenting the entire body of
works with uniform sensitivity and
understanding.Szeryng is currently, for
reasons I do not comprehend, less well
known than many other violinists - but
he was demonstrably superior to almost
all of them. He was one of the five or
so greatest violinists of the century.
Szeryng’s Bach is in a class by itself.
Nobody has Szeryg’s unique combination
of musical, intellectual and technical
gifts that make him the perfect
interpreter of the Bach solo repertiore:
he has abundant strength, absolute
control of the bow, perfect intonation,
an uncanny sense for architecture and
structure, the highest intelligence and
analytic penetration, and a huge,
organ-like tone. Beyond that, he loved
this music more than any other. Playing
Bach was always an intensely religious
experience for Szeryng. That comes
across in these recordings. They are not
about an individual expressing his
feelings or celebrating his
subjectivity. They are about a great
artist dedicating his entire being,
talent and skills to the greater cause
inherent in Bach’s music. The result is
overwhelming: a spectacular celebration
of Bach’s musical transcendence.
