My favorite recording of a cornerstone of Western art...
Bob Zeidler | Charlton, MA United States | 06/23/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...now part of the well-respected Philips 50 series, and deservedly so.
Shortly before this Philips 50 remastering of Arthur Grumiaux's recording of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin was released approximately two years ago, I summarized my thoughts on the earlier Philips "Duo" version of the same repertoire (minus the two violin/harpsichord sonatas which have been added to the Philips 50 release). There is little that I could add, from then to now, regarding these performances, beyond the fact that they certainly deserve the "Philips 50" treatment, so my comments below are as valid today as when I wrote them a little over two years back. The "Duo" release continues in the Philips catalogue, and remains a better bargain for the Sonatas and Partitas. This more expensive "Philips 50" release is the beneficiary of having the additional violin/harpsichord works, as well as fresh packaging. One cannot go wrong with either release.
Without further ado, here are my thoughts on Grumiaux's Bach.
The name Johann Sebastian Bach conjures up a multitude of musical vistas: Cantatas and oratorios, instrumental concerti, solo keyboard works, chamber music, and, ultimately, a handful of cornerstones of Western art: The B Minor Mass, The Well-Tempered Clavier, The Art of Fugue, the Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, and these Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin. By these five works alone, Bach's place in history is assured. Not that he needs my vote, or opinion for that matter, to decide the issue.
Many words could be (and in fact have been) spilt over the issue of who are the best artists for Bach's solo instrumental works. For the keyboard works, it's often a case of "Glenn Gould vs. everyone else," and equally often, piano vs. harpsichord. For the cello suites, substitute Pablo Casals for Glenn Gould, and "never mind that Casals' approach wasn't `authentic'." Simply put, greatness is, well, greatness.
For these solo violin works, after having heard many great violinists - of both "authentic" and "modern" persuasion - play them, I always come back to this Arthur Grumiaux recording as being my favorite. Grumiaux was nothing if not an elegant violinist, and he had a superb Stradivarius for an instrument. But, if you are thinking that elegance is short for "sounds too smooth for me," rest assured that Grumiaux does not round off the edges of these works. This is a bravura performance of such technical virtuosity that it would be easy to believe Grumiaux to have been a Bach specialist (which he was not, having a far wider repertoire). He simply played these masterpieces in the way that he believed in them: that they do in fact represent "a cornerstone of Western art." He doesn't shortcut the crags and the tough parts; he makes apparent the implied counterpoint written in the music; his intonation and articulation are flawless. And, on top of all that, he has an instrument that simply sings.
A somewhat shorter version of all of the above: While perhaps not easy for the novice to grasp at first hearing, these works are of such sublime perfection as performed by Grumiaux that even the novice will surely be won over and revisit this performance again and again, each time bringing something new and fresh away from the performance. THIS, in a nutshell, is what this recording is all about.
In the early 60's - when this Grumiaux recording was originally produced and released on two LP's - there were very few record companies that could compete with Philips on a "quality" basis, either in sound reproduction or in lack of surface and extraneous noise. I still have those LP's, and they still sound remarkably good. The quality of those Philips master tapes clearly contributed to the excellent sound on these CD's. The two-LP release also had quite a bit extra by way of liner notes which were not included in this CD release under review. Philips has this recording included in its "Philips 50" release schedule, a clear sign that it considers Grumiaux's Bach a high point in its recording history (as do I and the other uniformly-5-star reviewers here), and a possible sign that those original liner notes will be included when the "Philips 50" remastering reaches the market. But no need to wait that long. It's the music that matters.
Bob Zeidler"
Our Musical Ambassador to Space
Alex Zhao | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 05/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Biologist Lewis Thomas once commented on what music he will send to space, "I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach... but that would be boasting."
NASA did not, of course, sent the whole collection of Bach's work to space. However, three of Bach's work were selected to go on board Voyager 1 & 2. One of them is Arthur Grumiaux's recording of "Gavotte en rondeau" from the Partita No. 3 in E major. (For more info, check out http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/music.html )
Such is the quality of Grumiaux's interpretation - subtle & sublime - fit enough to represent Earth as a musical ambassador to space. When I first hear this recording, I fell in love it with. Grumiaux delivers the most exhilarating and powerful performance consistently throughout the whole album. The best way to sample this is through the massive Chaconne from Partita no 2 in D minor. You can feel how anguish, sad and sometimes hopeful from Grumiaux's violin. The emotional impact from this lasts for a long time.
So wonderful is Grumiaux's playing that I do not want to spoil it by listening frequently. I want to keep it special, unique. Let it be the crown jewel in your music collection.
Million years from now, after life on Earth has perished, the few signs of our existence is floating across the universe; and may it be some intelligent life forms recover the Voyagers, they will be able to hear Grumiaux's violin against vast silence of the cosmos.
-Alex Zhao-"
Great Partitas!...
Ashoke | Turkiye | 09/26/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One of the best performances for Partitas... I think, this is the best!... I think this is the best experience of listening a single instrument through a CD which provides such an extraordinary soundstaging, in spite of its analog mastering from 1960's!... Good job of remastering on 24 bit 96 kHz, thanks Philips Classics!."
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1