Magnificent Bach from Augustin Hadelich

I have fifteen different sets of Bach's six sonatas and partitas for solo violin, including versions by such stellar violinists as Heifetz, Grumiaux, Milstein, Ibragimova and Weithaas. Why I bought yet another set I don't know, except the violinist is Augustin Hadelich, a violinist who greatly impressed me with the one CD I have of his playing. His playing reminds me of Heifetz: technically effortless, and with a warm, sophisticated sound. Some of the prestissimo playing in these Bach works is nothing short of breathtaking -- try the double of the Corrente in the B minor partita, or the whirlwind finale of the C major sonata. The fugues positively dance along, helped by swift tempi and light bowing. Throughout the set, Hadelich combines light bowing with the appropriate degree of fantasy and varied dynamics.

The chaconne from the D minor partita is a lesson by both Bach and Hadelich as to just how varied and interesting the sound of a violin can be. The performance style of these works has come a long way in the past 60 or so years, and modern violinists such as Hadelich -- who is no “baroque” player -- have learned a lot from the past experiments by the baroqueux. There is now more consciousness of lightness of touch, of permitted fantasy, of varied dynamics, of the fact that popular dance rhythms underlie so much of this music, whether explicitly as in “gavotte”, “bourée”, “sarabande” etc. or implicitly. Hadelich is a long way from 1960s violinists such as Johanna Martzy or Alfredo Campoli, followed by Sigiswald Kuijken and the baroque crowd.

Hadelich plays on a del Gesù violin previously owned by Henryk Szeryng. It sounds superb in Hadelich's hands and he is given an excellent recording: not too close, not too far away, not too much reverberation to muddle the sound. Notwithstanding all the other great violinists who have recorded these works over the decades, I know that whenever in future I want to listen to one of Bach's sonatas and partitas for solo violin, it will be the Hadelich version I take off the shelf. I can give no higher praise. He has technique to spare, coupled with imagination, taste and musicality. I hope he does not record too many more CDs, since I am running out of shelving space, years to live, and money to buy.

Bach's St. Matthew Passion

It being Easter, I cooked myself a leg of lamb, and listened to Bach's St Matthew Passion. There are worse ways of celebrating an Easter weekend in England. Except I over-cooked the lamb. When it comes to recordings of the Matthew Passion, I have Herreweghe (1994, and 2008), Klemperer (1961), Richter (1958), Harnoncourt (2000). For my Easter listening this year, I selected the 2008 recording by Philippe Herreweghe. Bach's music does not demand a demonic maestro in charge. It needs someone to set the tempi, to adjust the balance, to control the dynamics, to maintain the flow of the music. It needs good vocal soloists, and good instrumentalists. In the era of recording technology, we can also add recorded balance and overall recording expertise. I listened happily to the Herreweghe recording.

The hero of the day was Johann Sebastian Bach. The St. Matthew Passion is one of the highest peaks of all western classical music, along with the Mass in B minor. At times in his cantatas, Bach would appear to be composing by numbers (but to a very high standard). Not with the St. Matthew Passion; this is Bach putting all his immense skill and genius into nearly three solid hours of great music. From the initial Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen, until the final Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder, we listen in enthralled amazement.

Casts on rival recordings include Christoph Prégardien, Bernarda Fink, Christiane Schäfer, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig, Ernst Haefliger, and Irmgard Seefried. Herreweghe II has a good cast, including Ian Bostridge, Andreas Scholl, Werner Güra, and Dietrich Henschel. No quibbles about that. My equipment allows me to adjust the volume at the press of a button. If I had a speed button, I'd occasionally press it for minus 6 percent. That's about the only criticism I can come up with for Herreweghe II. And no criticisms whatsoever for Bach's music.