Three Bach unaccompanied works in a row, and I enjoyed them right to the end (first sonata, first partita, second sonata). The violinist was Lara St. John in a new 2007 recording of the six works. Lara in Bach has impeccable rhythmic sense, an assured technique, a very welcome broad palette of sound and dynamics, and a real sense of enjoyment. One feels JSB would nod his approval and tap his feet.
Well, for classical poise and impeccable taste, there is Milstein. But for an enjoyable traversal, there is now also Lara. An excellent set (though I have not yet reached the second disc).

It is amazing how neglected is the music of Charles-Valentin Alkan. I spent an enjoyable hour or so listening to the "Trio Alkan" playing the violin sonata, the cello sonata, and the piano trio. Rainer Klass (piano), Kolja Lessing (violin) and Bernhard Schwarz (cello) play well, but the recording is "early Naxos" (1991) and lacks the impact of my favourite CD with Tedi Papavrami and Huseyn Sermet (plus Christoph Henkel in the cello sonata).

Sad that this wonderful music is so neglected; the cello sonata may be the only one of its genre that I can listen to with enjoyment, and I have always held the Grand duo Concertant for violin and piano in high esteem since making its acquaintance years ago (thanks to Nicholas Grandjean). Papavrami played it; Dong-Suk Kang played it (not very well, I have to say). But no other violinist of note has adopted it -- neither Grumiaux, Thibaud, Francescatti, Ferras, Dumay ... to mention only some French maestri. How nice if it suddenly burst into fame!

Finished the evening with Philippe Hirschhorn's 1967 (Brussels) performance of Paganini's first concerto. I had forgotten how good this was, but it is right up there with Kogan, Rabin and Mullova. Perhaps even better? Anyway, three stars for this classic (public) performance.

Bliss, listening to Philippe Hirschhorn playing Bach (second unaccompanied sonata) in a public recording from 1967. The playing was highly intelligent and most interesting; but the sound was glorious! Such a relief to hear this music played by a "proper" violinist rather than some sour "authentic" attempt. I look forward to hearing the Lara St. John re-make of all six Bach s&p unaccompanieds (on their way to me). Lara always seems to have a way with Bach.

Very good dinner this evening: frommage de tête, cornichons, Spanish tomatoes, côte de veau, small leaf salad, Livarot and vieux Cantal cheeses, bread from Quayles in Tetbury, fresh mango, 2005 St Emilion ("Chevaler Collier"). Very contented.
Then Philippe Jaroussky singing Vivaldi; I could listen to him for hours – and you can hear every consonant and vowel of every word he sings.
Finally, the new CD of Janine Jansen. Her performance of the second unaccompanied partita is exemplary. For the two-part inventions, she is joined by Maxim Rysanov (viola) and, for the three-part inventions ("sinfonias") they are joined by Torleif Thedeen (cello). To my mind: Bach as he should be played, with intelligence, feeling and subtlety. A great relief to hear Bach without "authentic" string playing. It just sounds so much better!
Definitely a CD to keep beside me to play whenever the world becomes too much. Bravo Janine and colleagues!

Good musical evening. Started with three Mozart symphonies (29, 38 and 39) conducted by Otto Klemperer with the Philharmonia. Classical, in the best sense of the word. Well balanced, well recorded, admirably structured and with the music speaking for itself.

Then on to Schubert, and my favourite D 960 piano sonata. Schubert's powers of modulation and harmonic tension in this music (as in so much of his music) are quite outstanding. The all-time classic performance was by Leif Ove Andsnes, a pianist in the Arthur Grumiaux mould. Listening to Andsnes in Schubert, you come away over-awed ... by Schubert. Just as it should be.

Remade acquaintance with Marina Chiche (with Jérôme Ducros), an off-air recording from David Gomberg. The opening Debussy sonata is good, but cool and classical; the following Schubert "Grand Duo" a bit under-played and leaves one longing for Rachmaninov and Kreisler. But the following Strauss sonata is magnificent, and is played for all it's worth. What a shame Strauss only wrote one violin & piano sonata! Anyway, its over-the-top romanticism suits Chiche and Ducros admirably. A great pity there are some bad drop outs during the final minutes of the finale; couldn't have come at a worse place. Still, it's a performance to be remembered.
Eat a canard à l'orange that my stomach doesn't like too much. I think I'll have to return to cooking my own food from my own purchased ingredients. More work, but more pleasure, I think.

Saved, as often, by Handel. I was beginning to think I was weary of music and needed to take up something else (golf? jam making?) But Natalie Dessay singing Handel for 60 minutes turned me around. Backed up, of course, by Emmanuelle Haïm, Stéphanie-Marie Degand, and Patrick Beaugiraud (oboe). What a team! And what music. A bit odd that the French seem to have a Handel monopoly recently; but we can all sit back and enjoy it.
Even the food looked up after yesterday evening's disaster. True, a choucroute Alsacienne out a tin is not high gastronomy; but it tasted good. I must get some more tins when I am in France later this week.

Rather disgusting meal this evening; I really must avoid anything that describes itself as being "en croûte" since, for whatever reason, it never seems to work for me, be it salmon or chicken. Not a success.
Went on afterwards to enjoy .... The Four Seasons! Violinist was David Nadien ((1960) who also led the three players in Mozart's Divertimento K 563. No baroqueux, thank goodness. As a dessert, I put on Furtwängler in Bruckner's 9th Symphony (1944). The secret of this superb performance is not to listen to it through headphones; the 1944 sound is extraordinary, but does not respond well to headphones, but sounds out loud and clear through my loudspeakers.

A short record in praise of Liza Ferschtman. I am re-listening to her CDs before refiling and, I must say, she is my kind of girl. Plenty of variation in dynamics, colour and vibrato, unlike so many "beautiful" violinists. I hope she records more things -- preferably some out-of-the-way music rather than the inevitable Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch, Sibelius, Mendelssohn. She could probably do Shostakovich's music well. Sometimes, it's good to have so many records, when you can reach up and lift someone of the caliber of Ferschtman off the shelf.

More David Nadien. His recording of the Bruch G minor concerto (1973, Hungary) is quite jaw-dropping. An enormous pity that the recording and transfers are both so inadequate; at times Nadien's violin sounds as if it is made of stainless steel. What a major tragedy that Nadien didn't make professional recordings; he really was a violinist of major significance.

Oh sad journal; pretty abandoned of late. However, it has been a period of catching up with the listening pile, so little really noteworthy to report. Many CD disappointments. A bright spot was the second Handel CD from La Risonanza, who followed Le Cantate per il Cardinal Pamphili with Le Cantate per il Marchese Ruspoli. Handel was in glorious form in his days in Italy around 1707, with masterpiece following masterpiece, and the creation of numerous "hits" that would stand him in good stead for the next 50 years. Singer on most of the second disc is Emanuela Galli, with Roberta Invernizzi back for Diana Cacciatrice. When Italian is (well) sung by real Italians, it has a certain zing to it. A good pair of CDs, both directed by Fabio Bonnizoni. And I do love Handel's Italian cantatas.

Glorious John! I replaced my faithful old CD of Barbirolli conducting Elgar and Vaughan Williams pieces (including Tallis and Greensleeves, plus Sospiri, etc) with a new GROC version. Fine new sound; and what playing, and what music! This CD has to be one of the great immortal classics of all time.

Greatly astonished when settling down to listen to twelve pieces played by David Nadien (kindly sent to me by Lee). Here was a violinist who, in these pieces, was fully the equal of Milstein, Elman, Gingold, Hassid, etc! And I had never heard of him until Lee practically forced him on me. Seamless technique, plus the art of varying tone and approach so that each of the short pieces lives its own life. A quite unbelievable discovery.

After a second bite, big round of applause for Fanny Clamagirand. I picked up her CD of the complete solo violin sonatas of Ysaye purely by accident in the FNAC in Paris. It goes to the top of the pile for performances of these multi-faceted works. Like anyone under 25 years old, Clamagirand has no technical problems. But the variety and chameleon colouring she brings to the 15 movements rival that of Heifetz (if only he had recorded them). Top of the class. Whatever Ms Clamagirand records next, I'll be there! Proves the wisdom of serendipity when record buying.

A fortuitous acquisition (FNAC, in Paris) was Fanny Clamagirand playing the six Ysaÿe sonatas. Intelligent playing; over the fifteen movements of the sonatas there is plenty of room for alternative views, tempi, dynamics, etc and there are many good versions of the sonata. But Miss Clamagirand pleases.
Turning to more well-known names, I was again impressed with Lisa Batiashvili playing the Beethoven violin concerto, this time with the New York Philharmonic under Lorin Maazel (October 2007). Batiashvili is always impressive in this piece and, despite her very broad tempo for the opening allegro, I tend to go along with her. She has a remarkable power of concentration that really draws you into the music.
A final disc of note is another Handel disc from Magdalena Kozena – arias from the operas and oratorios. Sung with much fire and fury (where required) and, as always with Georg Frideric, entrancing music.

Bit disappointed with Lisa Batiashvili's first mainline commercial CD. She plays marvellously, of course. But the balance in the Sibelius concerto (live) has a rather dim orchestra for most of the time, and the violinist too forward. If you adjust the balance so you can hear the start of the work, you are blown out of your seat later on! I now have 52 (!) recordings of this over-recorded work, and the shelves are just too competitive for flawed versions.
The coupling, Magnus Lindberg's much-praised concerto, just left me cold, I'm afraid. Kept looking at my watch. Ridiculous booklet treats Batiashvili like a pop star, with nine posed photos of her! Admittedly, she is pretty; but why no photo of Sibelius, who is just a little more important?

Excellent "easy listening" CD (Naxos) entitled Opera Fantasies for Violin. Excellent, melodious, musical violinist is Livia Sohn -- quite new, to me. No great music; not even any great, extrovert playing. Just a very pleasant way to spend 66 minutes with the music of Hubay, Raff, Stravinsky, Paganini, et al. I even enjoyed the 7 minute piece by Golijov and the 16 minute piece by Stephen Prutsman.

This Saturday I was at the Théâtre de Poissy to hear Handel's Alcina. Lovely evening! Il Complesso Barocco was conducted by Alan Curtis. I love Handel! It is simply a great evening's entertainment.
Joyce Di Donato was superb. Maïté Beaumont does not have a particularly attractive voice, but she can certainly sing, and act! Karina Gauvin was excellent (as long as you close your eyes). Sonia Prina sang well. I very much liked the baritone voice of Vito Priante, and Kobie van Rensburg has a good tenor voice. A word of praise for Nils Wieboldt who played the important cello part with immense skill.
It's an attractive theatre, and of an ideal size for baroque music. Poissy isn't much of a town, however, especially if you are hungry!