Solo Violin Sonatas

On this CD:

1. Sonata for violin & continuo No. 1 in A minor
Composed by Mauro d' Alay
Performed by Maurizio Cadossi

2. Sonata for violin & continuo No. 2 in G minor
Composed by Mauro d' Alay
Performed by Maurizio Cadossi

3. Sonata for violin & continuo No. 3 in D major
Composed by Mauro d' Alay
Performed by Maurizio Cadossi

4. Sonata for violin & continuo No. 4 in F major
Composed by Mauro d' Alay
Performed by Maurizio Cadossi

5. Sonata for violin & continuo No. 5 in E minor
Composed by Mauro d' Alay
Performed by Maurizio Cadossi

6. Sonata for violin & continuo No. 6 in C minor
Composed by Mauro d' Alay
Performed by Maurizio Cadossi

Tracks:

Sonata no. 1 in G minor BWV 1001 - Adagio
Sonata no. 1 in G minor BWV 1001 - Fuga: Allegro
Sonata no. 1 in G minor BWV 1001 - Siciliana
Sonata no. 1 in G minor BWV 1001 - Presto
Partita no. 1 in B minor BWV 1002 - Allemanda
Partita no. 1 in B minor BWV 1002 - Double
Partita no. 1 in B minor BWV 1002 - Corrente
Partita no. 1 in B minor BWV 1002 - Double: Presto
Partita no. 1 in B minor BWV 1002 - Sarabande
Partita no. 1 in B minor BWV 1002 - Double
Partita no. 1 in B minor BWV 1002 - Tempo di Borea
Partita no. 1 in B minor BWV 1002 - Double
Sonata no. 2 in A minor BWV 1003 - Grave
Sonata no. 2 in A minor BWV 1003 - Fuga
Sonata no. 2 in A minor BWV 1003 - Andante
Sonata no. 2 in A minor BWV 1003 - Allegro

Tracks:

Partita no. 2 in D minor BWV 1004 - Allemanda
Partita no. 2 in D minor BWV 1004 - Corrente
Partita no. 2 in D minor BWV 1004 - Sarabanda
Partita no. 2 in D minor BWV 1004 - Giga
Partita no. 2 in D minor BWV 1004 - Ciaccona
Sonata no. 3 in C major BWV 1005 - Adagio
Sonata no. 3 in C major BWV 1005 - Fuga: Allabreve
Sonata no. 3 in C major BWV 1005 - Largo
Sonata no. 3 in C major BWV 1005 - Allegro assai
Partita no. 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Preludio
Partita no. 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Loure
Partita no. 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Gavotte en Rondeau
Partita no. 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Menuet I - Menuet II
Partita no. 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Bour
Partita no. 3 in E major BWV 1006 - Gigue

Customer Reviews:

Impeccable! The standard performance.......2007-04-20

Henryk Szeryng's "choked up", unembellished sound makes for a spot-on, highly profound and emotionally-charged interpretation. He really gets to the heart of the matter here that leaves all other performances of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas that I have heard in its wake.

I still like Millstein better.......2007-01-09

I have owned the Millstein recording on LP since ancient times. While Szering is excellent, I think Millstein has greater warmth and lyricism; his recording remains my first choice for these pieces.

Very best Bach for solo violin.......2006-04-10

It is not easy to meet a CD that listen over and over again these days. Recently I met it. When I listen the sample on the Amazon page the sound just caught me, "What is it?" "Different!".

Szeryng is not a present player, unfortunately he passed away for years ago. I am sorry I didn't know him until now. Because he spent his later life in Mexico, or he did not get a good manager, or he did not care about it, anyway he did not seem to get fame as he deserved it.

I like Bach solo violin set, especially the first sonata and the second partita. I have listened by some famouse violinists but I wonder I could meet beyond this in my rest of life.
In this CD, I love the first sonata, the first partita. Overall, the violin sound is brilliantly wonderful. I don't know why but when listening this CD the sound impresses me before music, that is not usual, I always care music before sound.

In Japan, his playing is often referred as great nobility or dignity, and he rarely makes mistakes, someone says the performance is like even silience after playing pleases me.

Evocative Therapy.......2005-10-30

Bach has always been a favorite and Szeryng an inspiration. I was a bit concerned with the Duetsche Grammaphone release, as I have heard many other artistical releases of dubious quality. But this one shines. I understand that Szeryng mastered these works very early in his career, his mastery is evident and haunting. A trip into the past, Szeryng shows his talent. It is such a blessing to be able to hear the masters performing masterworks, especially in the digital format that lends itself to hearing the whole release without interruption. It is most satisfying to retain that sort of connection with the music and the muscian.

Glenn Gould's violin counterpart.......2005-10-10

Szeryng's recording is outstanding. The main appeal of this recording for me was his ability to enunciate all the different voices of the Bach pieces. This is especially evident in his superb recording of the Chaconne. I am not surprised to see that many see this recording as close to Bach's text as possible. However, Szeryng has to do a lot of interpretation to get it to that state. If he was "only" sticking to the text, then why won't most other virtuosos follow this example? When I listen to Szeryng (this Bach recording over a thousand times), I never grow tired. It is true that when one first listens to it, it does not seem as remarkable as some other playings, but the beauty of Szeryng's playing is the purity and transcendence with which he plays Bach. Each measured, full and clear note rings with the heart-wrenching pathos evident in many of Bach's pieces.
Another advantage of Szeryng's recording is that he has pretty faithful tempo, no awkward pauses or lenghtenings for emotional effect. While this may render his playing seemingly unremarkable in the first few hearings, one quickly realizes the incredible richness and beauty. For example, if one reads Bach or plays Bach, one cannot help but imagine dramatic pauses, lengthenings, flourishes to fully convey the emotion that is in the pieces. However, when the piece is played literally to those "additions," the text is no longer pure Bach but a translated or filtered Bach. Any "emotional interpretation" of the listener is no longer based on Bach, but on that certain interpretation. Szeryng's virtuosity lies in his ability to play Bach faithfully and *beautifully, leaving the listener to appreciate and use the imagination. This, in my opinion after over a thousand listenings, is the reason why Szeryng has that lasting appeal.

Average customer rating:

The deepest insights into Bach
Earlier 1954 and 1956 versions
Milstein is a master

Bach: Sonatas for Unaccompanied Violin

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

ASIN: B0000589T1
Release Date: 2001-02-13

Tracks:

Son No.1 in g, BWV1001: I. Adagio
Son No.1 in g, BWV1001: II. Fuga (Allegro)
Son No.1 in g, BWV1001: III. Siciliano
Son No.1 in g, BWV1001: IV. Presto
Son No.2 in a, BWV1003: I. Grave
Son No.2 in a, BWV1003: II. Fuga
Son No.2 in a, BWV1003: III. Andante
Son No.2 in a, BWV1003: IV. Allegro
Son No.3 in C, BWV1005: I. Adagio
Son No.3 in C, BWV1005: II. Fuga
Son No.3 in C, BWV1005: III. Largo
Son No.3 in C, BWV1005: IV. Allegro Assai
Original Master Recording Slate: Capitol Studios, March 26, 1954

Customer Reviews:

The deepest insights into Bach.......2005-05-17

Bach is my favorite composer, and of all Bach's works, the Goldberg Variations, and these solo violin sonatas/partitas, are my "desert island" works. I've listened to many recordings of these sonatas/partitas, from Yehudi Menuhin to Jascha Heifetz, Grumiaux, Perlman, Podger, and others. Milstein's survey from the 1950s on EMI stands as my favorite, in comparison with his DG rendition in the 1970s.

I had a conversation with one of the editors of the Penguin guide about these recordings, and Milstein was also his favorite, but he preferred the 70s DG version for reasons of sound quality and technical brilliance. I countered that the EMI Milstein set from the 50s was superior for the depth of insight brought to these pieces. Nathan Milstein was in his absolute prime when he first recorded this survey in the 50s. His insights into Bach are pure, with the required delicacy in slow movements, the right touch of silence here and there to let the music breathe, without being CONSPICUOUSLY slow, such as the Perlman set, which tends to drag at times. His fugues are perfectly light on their feet, his rhythms perfectly sprung, without making it a horse race. In short, Milstein stays out of the way of Bach in every moment of the EMI set, and we are face to face with the composer. But in the DG set from the 1970s, Milstein seems to be rushing through some passages (as does Grumiaux), with more regard for "technical brilliance" as the Penguin editor cited, instead of pure musicality and reverence of Bach. I have listened to both Milstein versions, and the 70s DG recording simply does not reach down into the depths of Bach in the same way.

The Jascha Heifetz rendition is also outstanding, but when you listen to it, you know that it's about Heifetz, not so much about Bach. Now, Heifetz was indeed the best of the best, in terms of his technical mastery. The one segment where Heifetz wins me over from everyone else is in the mighty Chaconne from Partita 2. In this Mount Everest of solo violin, Heifetz takes you on an exhilarating ride that leaves you speechless. I have never heard the Chaconne played with such fearless power and confidence than from Heifetz. For that one segment alone, I bow to him above all others. He was indeed the best.

But Heifetz himself always heaped praise upon Nathan Milstein, which was exceedingly rare. Heifetz never praised anyone! Heifetz always demanded that his students go to see Milstein perform. If his students didn't go, they'd be in trouble! So Milstein certainly commanded a great deal of respect from Heifetz. And when you hear Milstein play the mighty Chaconne, he almost has the supreme technical mastery of Heifetz. Not quite, but almost. However, once again, when you hear the Heifetz version, you are hearing Heifetz, the master. When you hear the (50s EMI) Milstein version, you are hearing Bach.

I invite the listener to compare one specific movement between these two Milstein versions, and then make their own decision. Listen very carefully to the opening Grave movement from Sonata 2 in A Minor. Compare and contrast the depth of insight in the 50s version on EMI, and the 70s version on DG. You will most likely come to the same conclusion as I did after making my own comparison. Then compare other movements throughout the set, but start with that one. For me, there is no doubt. The 50s set is pure, unadulterated Bach at its finest. No other violinist came closer to the heart of this beautiful music than Milstein did in the 1950s. Even HE didn't get as close to it when he remade this music later in his life. And by the way, in terms of sound quality, this EMI set from the 50s is perfect! There is no cavernous reverb, just the pure unadulterated sound of Milstein's violin, so clean and clear that he is right there in the room with you. The two words I always come away with after listening to this 50s Milstein set on EMI are "intimacy" and "insight."

Earlier 1954 and 1956 versions.......2004-12-19

Supposedly the 1975 versions (includes partitas in the 2 cd set on DG) were better in Milstein's judgment. I think they are both amazing.

Milstein is a master.......2001-12-07

This recording not only demonstrates mastery over an instrument but also clearly demonstrates Bach's genius. A just plain wonderful pair Bach and Milstein. These mid 50's recordings are a must for lovers of true sonic beauty.

J.S. Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001-1006

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Julia Fischer performs J.S.Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
Thoughtful Readings
Bach by Julia Fischer
very good.
What a Surprise!

J.S. Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001-1006

Manufacturer: Pentatone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00097HE8U
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Customer Reviews:

Julia Fischer performs J.S.Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin.......2007-05-07

In March I heard Julia Fischer playing Khachaturian's violin concerto at a concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. She is such a wonderful violinist that soon after I got home I checked what other performance of hers would be available from Amazon. When I saw this CD I promptly ordered it. Because on this CD she plays without an orchestra, her virtuosity is even more obvious and superb than in the concertos where she is accompanied by a full orchestra. I recommend this CD to everybody who likes the violin music of J.S.Bach!

Thoughtful Readings.......2007-01-09

Bach's unaccompanied sonatas and partitas for solo violin can act as multiple litmus tests, mercilessly revealing a player's cultural, temperamental, intellectual, and technical selves. That is certainly the case with Julia Fischer's set. It shows her to be technically proficient and thoughtful in regard to the structures and, to some degree, the expressive (affective) content of these works. But it also tells the world that she is still a young artist, and that she may have more to say about this music -- and the temerity to say it -- after she's been around a while longer.

Listeners contemplating the purchase of yet another Bach Unaccompanied set will also have to look to their own tastes in deciding whether Fischer fits the bill. Have you long since acquired, and exhausted, the classic Milstein performances? Did you find Perlman nicely polished, or just a bit too slick? Did you respond well to Kremer's impetuosity and drama, or consider his approach overly rough and improvisatory?

In the liner notes, Ms. Fischer tells us that for years she has warmed up every day with these pieces. It shows. She is obviously familiar with them, and her technical security and sense of "what comes next" have benefited. But with familiarity comes a certain complacency, and warmups can encourage a performer to emphasize sheer mechanics: pitch accuracy, evenly smooth bowing, perfect finger coordination, etc. That is what I personally hear as a guiding principle in most of these interpretations. They are soft-edged, maintaining steady tempi, using the middle third of the bow, employing subtle and consistent accents, phrasing, and dynamic emphases.

Nothing wrong with those choices. In many aspects, they may lie closer than some others to what Bach had in mind. But I found myself respecting Fischer's efforts rather than becoming involved in the music itself. In the end I went back to Hilary Hahn's debut disc (which includes some but not all of these works) in order to hear controlled and thoughtful Bach performances with more passion, more bite (bowing at the frog when needed), and more overall humanity.

The SACD recording is quite good, but if anything it emphasizes the mellow, moderated quality of these performances with a violin timbre that is never unpleasant but seldom provides the range of colors that one might hope to hear, even in Bach. Especially in Bach?

I think Ms. Fischer is heard to better advantage in her Pentatone recording of the Russian concertos -- maybe she didn't feel a "Romantic" approach was as appropriate for Baroque music. The result sounds curiously old-fashioned, however, especially given the recent tendency in historically informed Baroque performance to emphasize drama and individualistic expression (e.g., Rachel Podger, Andrew Manze). By comparison, Julia Fischer's Bach comes off as a careful effort by a recent conservatory graduate. Still worth hearing, but perhaps more as an emblem of her undeniable promise.

Bach by Julia Fischer.......2006-08-04

You must listen to this with SACD kit to do justice to the recording. OK CD layer is not too bad but with sensitive equipment you can hear so much more with the SACD it is unbelievable.
She is one of the best performers of Bach solo pieces if not the best. Milstein, Kagan, Grumiaux, Perlman are good. But she is something else. Timing, fluidity, expression I can go on and on. This is the most "musical" interpretation of these pieces I have heard so far.

very good........2006-06-11

At first I was stunned on how good it was to listen to these pieces in a great format as SACD. However, miss Fischer should pay more attention to the details instead of get every note just right. There aren't huge mistakes, which makes it worthy, but it isn't perfect. The booklet says that she's quite young to perform all of this pieces and I believe it's true. She can improve in the future.

What a Surprise!.......2006-03-09

I never thought this young violinist could play Bach in such a matured way. My version at home was Milstein, Szegeti, Kremer (not very good), and Grumiaux. But Julia Fischer's Bach has won so much praise and I just wonder why. Therefore I bought this pricy double SACD (no ordinary CD available).

I was surprised. It doesn't sound like she is young at all. According to Fisher, she played Bach every day. And she has been studying Bach since she was a little girl. No wonder she has attended to the details of it. The speed she took was relatively slow, especially for the Preludes and Sarabande. Her technique was impeccable, but it all sounded so natural. I once listened to Heifitz and I didn't quite like it. It sounded not like Bach. Fisher surely captured the elegance and warmth of one of Bach's most intelligent and intellectual works.

If you like Bach's Unaccompanied Sonata and Partita for Solo Violin, buy this. You won't regret. The recording quality was superb, too!

Bach: Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

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Grumiaux and Bach
My old favourite
Absolutely Essential
A somewhat clinical, "perfect" Bach
I remember....

Bach: Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000417N
Release Date: 1994-02-15

Tracks:

Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001: Adagio
Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001: Fuga (Allegro)
Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001: Siciliana
Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001: Presto
Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002: Allemanda
Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002: Double
Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002: Corrente
Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002: Double (Presto)
Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002: Sarabande
Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002: Double
Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002: Tempo di Borea
Double
Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003: Grave
Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003: Fuga
Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003: Andante
Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003: Allegro

Tracks:

Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: Allamanda
Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: Corrente
Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: Sarabande
Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: Giga
Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: Ciaccona
Sonata No. 3 in C, BWV 1005: Adagio
Sonata No. 3 in C, BWV 1005: Fuga
Sonata No. 3 in C, BWV 1005: Largo
Sonata No. 3 in C, BWV 1005: Allegro Assai
Partita No. 3 in E, BWV 1006: Preludio
Partita No. 3 in E, BWV 1006: Loure
Partita No. 3 in E, BWV 1006: Gavotte en Rondeau
Partita No. 3 in E, BWV 1006: Menuet I-II
Partita No. 3 in E, BWV 1006: Bourre'e
Partita No. 3 in E, BWV 1006: Gigue

Amazon.com essential recording

Arthur Grumiaux was among the most elegant and refined violinists who ever recorded. This doesn't preclude his playing the famous Chaconne with lots of power, which he does. But it means hearing Bach with all technical difficulties minimized to give you a clear view of the music. Sometimes, as in Joseph Szigeti's late recordings (Vanguard Classics OVC 8021/2), there is a sense of struggle between the violin and the music that for more dramatic Bach. Grumiaux allows you to hear everything Bach put into the music, and it all sounds beautiful. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Grumiaux and Bach.......2006-08-31

I originally ordered Heifetz playing Bach's sonatas and partitas because I was learning the Chaconne, but because it was going to take a month to arrive, I ordered Grumiaux in the meantime. I have been so pleased with Grumiaux' smooth tone, his vibrato (never too much), his flawless chords, and his near perfect intonation, that although my Heifetz recording has since arrived, I still listen to Grumiaux much more.

My old favourite.......2006-06-28

These works are, for me, the highest possible achievement of violin music, and rank alongside the Cello Suites and the Well-Tempered Clavier as Bach's most meditative, introspective and spiritually profound works. They take you through a whole range of emotions and moods, and probably not coincidentally, like the Cello Suites, they end on a bright note, almost like the light of heaven shining down on you. Listening to the fugal movements is like being in a private cathedral of sound. And I say this without being a religious person in any way - this music is more personally spiritual, without being necessarily 'religious', like so many of Bach's vocal works.

I first heard these works performed by Menuhin (like Grumiaux, a student of Enescu), and though I retain a fondness for his recordings, I think Grumiaux's version is, all around, the best. I do agree with some of the other reviewers that Milstein can give a bit more passion, and I particularly like how the lower parts of the counterpoint are often more audible in Milstein (for instance, in the beginning bars of the D-Major section of the Chaconne - which is less accented in the Grumiaux), but I personally don't like Milstein's steely tone that much, and Bach sometimes sounds too much like hard work in his versions. In contrast, Grumiaux's tone is much warmer, I find, though he can put on the power very well whenever it's needed, and his playing is so effortless, one is able to really appreciate the beauty and profundity of Bach's works.

I'm very partial to period interpretations normally, and having now acquired Rachel Podger's recordings, I prefer those in many aspects; but on the whole, I find Grumiaux better than the other 'authentic' performance I've heard, that of Kuijken. Grumiaux IS old-fashioned, but he avoids the excesses of most of the others of his generation (even Menuhin takes some movements - like the third of the G-Minor - so slowly, it's impossible to remember it's a dance-movement!), and plays something that seems, to me, to be very much something in the spirit of Bach, even if not entirely 'authentic'. As Manze has said, there's nothing intrinsically wrong with playing Bach on modern instruments - the music is truly universal! Even though on a few points here and there I do prefer other recordings, overall, I find Grumiaux's is simply the best - and I think definitely the best introduction to this awe-inspiring music.

Absolutely Essential.......2006-01-24

This is one of those recordings that belongs in everyone's classical collection from the beginning. It is without a doubt one of the most heartfelt, achingly beautiful, and totally masterful recordings ever made. There is simply nothing more to say.

Anyone who has it knows- and everyone who doesn't needs to.

A somewhat clinical, "perfect" Bach.......2005-05-17

These sonatas and partitas are among my favorite Bach works, alongside the Goldberg Variations. I've heard most of the great recordings of these suites by the great violinists, including this version by Grumiaux. My favorite rendition remains the 50s EMI survey by Nathan Milstein (not the DG version from the 1970s).

Now, Grumiaux stands tallest with me for his recordings of the Bach violin concertos and the famous double violin concerto, as well as his sublime version of the six violin/harpsichord sonatas (this is my favorite Grumiaux recording, and a "desert island recording" for me...an absolute must-have for anyone). For those, Grumiaux is unmatched in my opinion. But, in those cases, he has accompaniment that he must interact with. In these unaccompanied violin works, he has a subtle detachment. For an example, listen to the opening Grave movement from Sonata 2, and especially the Andante (movement 3) of Sonata 2. Grumiaux's technique is flawless, and he is almost at that magic threshold. Then, listen to Milstein play that Andante from the EMI 50s recording. You will hear exactly what I am talking about, something a bit too ineffable to put into words, but something you can hear. Given the fact that Grumiaux has recorded my favorite versions of Bach's other violin works, as I've mentioned above, this criticism was difficult for me to make.

I'm not suggesting a bombastic, romanticized account of these suites. Milstein finds the perfect balance (in his 50s version) between reverence of Bach and technical mastery. You feel every note of the music as it comes from Bach, and the depth of insight is extraordinary. Grumiaux captured that with his other recordings that I've mentioned above, but in these solo suites, there is a depth of feeling that is lacking. He's obviously more concerned with perfect form and cleanliness of line than he is with probing the music for its innermost secrets. Milstein achieves this, but on the EMI set from the 1950s, not the DG set from the 70s, where I think that Milstein also fell short.

It IS possible to have perfect form and cleanliness of line without sacrificing feeling. Milstein found that magic compromise in the 1950s on EMI. The words I always use after hearing the 50s Milstein are "intimacy" and "insight." His insights are so profound. Grumiaux's survey has impeccable sound quality, played on a gorgeous instrument, with flawless technique in the elegant style. Still, it doesn't get to the heart of this music. It's "perfect," but it doesn't speak to me.

I remember...........2005-05-16

One of those CDs you grow up listening to -- introducing one's soul to the beauty that is Bach. I remember buying this CD on a whim since it was so cheap the summer before heading to High School at a Sam Goodies -- it totally just restructured everything I knew about music. There is nothing like this recording out there. Seriously, buy it for your kids, and introduce them to "true love". It is what anyone if they listen carefully to this CD will realize is the essence to Arthur's playing.

Bach: Cello Suites, Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin - Christian Tetzlaff & Ralph Kirshbaum (4 CD's)

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Excellent overall
Wonderful
Unbelievable!

Bach: Cello Suites, Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin - Christian Tetzlaff & Ralph Kirshbaum (4 CD's)
Christian Tetzlaff , Ralph Kirshbaum , and Johann Sebastian Bach
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00030FJ9Y
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Tracks:

1. Adagio - Christian Tetzlaff
2. Fuga (Allegro) - Christian Tetzlaff
3. Siciliana - Christian Tetzlaff
4. Presto - Christian Tetzlaff
1. Allemanda - Christian Tetzlaff
Double - Christian Tetzlaff
2. Corrente - Christian Tetzlaff
Double (Presto) - Christian Tetzlaff
3. Sarabande - Christian Tetzlaff
Double - Christian Tetzlaff
4. Bourree - Christian Tetzlaff
Double - Christian Tetzlaff
1. Grave - Christian Tetzlaff
2. Fuga - Christian Tetzlaff
3. Andante - Christian Tetzlaff
4. Allegro - Christian Tetzlaff

Tracks:

1. Allemanda - Christian Tetzlaff
2. Corrente - Christian Tetzlaff
3. Sarabanda - Christian Tetzlaff
4. Giga - Christian Tetzlaff
5. Ciaccona - Christian Tetzlaff
1. Adagio - Christian Tetzlaff
2. Fuga - Christian Tetzlaff
3. Largo - Christian Tetzlaff
4. Allegro Assai - Christian Tetzlaff
1. Preludio - Christian Tetzlaff
2. Loure - Christian Tetzlaff
3. Gavotte En Rondo - Christian Tetzlaff
4. Menuet 1/Menuet 2 - Christian Tetzlaff
5. Bourree - Christian Tetzlaff
6. Gigue - Christian Tetzlaff

Tracks:

1. Prelude - Ralph Kirshbaum
2. Allemande - Ralph Kirshbaum
3. Courante - Ralph Kirshbaum
4. Sarabande - Ralph Kirshbaum
5. Menuet 1 & 2 - Ralph Kirshbaum
6. Gigue - Ralph Kirshbaum
1. Prelude - Ralph Kirshbaum
2. Allemande - Ralph Kirshbaum
3. Courante - Ralph Kirshbaum
4. Sarabande - Ralph Kirshbaum
5. Bourree 1 & 2 - Ralph Kirshbaum
6. Gigue - Ralph Kirshbaum
1. Prelude - Ralph Kirshbaum
2. Allemande - Ralph Kirshbaum
3. Courante - Ralph Kirshbaum
4. Sarabande - Ralph Kirshbaum
5. Gavotte 1 & 2 - Ralph Kirshbaum
6. Gigue - Ralph Kirshbaum

Tracks:

1. Prelude - Ralph Kirshbaum
2. Allemande - Ralph Kirshbaum
3. Courante - Ralph Kirshbaum
4. Sarabande - Ralph Kirshbaum
5. Menuet 1 & 2 - Ralph Kirshbaum
6. Gigue - Ralph Kirshbaum
1. Prelude - Ralph Kirshbaum
2. Allemande - Ralph Kirshbaum
3. Courante - Ralph Kirshbaum
4. Sarabande - Ralph Kirshbaum
5. Bourree 1 & 2 - Ralph Kirshbaum
6. Gigue - Ralph Kirshbaum
1. Prelude - Ralph Kirshbaum
2. Allemande - Ralph Kirshbaum
3. Courante - Ralph Kirshbaum
4. Sarabande - Ralph Kirshbaum
5. Gavotte 1 & 2 - Ralph Kirshbaum
6. Gigue - Ralph Kirshbaum

Customer Reviews:

Excellent overall.......2006-03-28

The two works presented in this bargain set represent Johann Sebastian Bach's greatest contribution to the solo string reportoire.

Although usually marginalized, the Cello Suites are hidden diamonds in the solo literature, requiring a depth of humanity and musicality that few performers actually achieve, so concerned as they are with simply hacking away at this seemingly simple music. Kirshbaum's reading is full of warmth and power, and his instrument (from Bach's time period) sings almost of its own accord. Tempi are just right; the sense of pacing in the G Major Prelude is magnificent, giving the piece a gently rocking feel. Kirshbaum's double stopping (as called for by many of the Allemanda movements) is impeccable and very clean; the harsh, biting sound such double-stopping requires from other performers is not present here.

The focal point of the set is, of course, Christian Tetzlaff's reading of the Six Solos. In comparison with the "big names," such as Perlman, Milstein, and Grumiaux, Tetzlaff cannot quite compete. His tempi are exceedingly swift, and he lacks much of the humanity present in Milstein and Menuhin. As a result, the quicker movements, such as the E Major Preludio and the B minor Doubles, sound less like the masterpieces they are and more like simple etudes to be sawed away on.

Tetzlaff's traversal of the Chaconne, however, is a breathless, exciting journey, and he is in top form during the massive fugues in each sonata. The recording location, while resonant, allows the violin's sound to sing without losing it in a sea of reverb. Although he suffers from tempi issues, Tetzlaff's technique is never in doubt, and he is solid and secure (perhaps even a bit too secure) during this recording.

Overall, despite issues with tempi in the Six Solos, this set is a great bargain, and hopefully Tetzlaff will decide to record these pieces again later in life.

Wonderful.......2006-01-10

I've been listening to and studying Bach's solo cello and violin works for over 30 years. Although I love this music dearly, it's rare that I'm surprized by it anymore. However, listening to Tetzlaff and Kirshbaum, I felt as if I were hearing them for the first time all over again. Both musicians are such masters of their instruments that their "technique" never intrudes on the music. These are really breathtaking performances.

Unbelievable!.......2005-10-19

Both these artists are exceptional. I have always had trouble listening to "anybody else's interpretation" of the bach cello suites, being a cellist myself. This one is truly outstanding. The excellent Bach solo violin interpretation by Christian Tetzlaff is just an added plus -- I was most impressed that my father listened through all the way and just made one or two comments about how the music was "alive". He was rapt. My father doesn't do that easily.

Average customer rating:

really like it

Cello Adagios

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Violin Adagios
Guitar Adagios
Baroque Adagios
Movie Adagios
Romantic Adagios

ASIN: B0001WU1QK
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Tracks:

Carnival Of The Animals - Bruno Canino
Vocalise, Op.34 No.14 - Lynn Harrell
Thais - Julian Lloyd Webber
Adagio - Janos Starker
Apres Un Reve - Bruno Canino
Adagio - Julian Lloyd Webber
Ave Maria - Julian Lloyd Webber
Adagio - Julian Lloyd Webber
Traumerei (Dreaming) - Bruno Canino
Notturno: Andante - Julian Lloyd Webber
Sicilienne - Bruno Canino
An Die Musik, D547 - Bruno Canino
Reverie - Julian Lloyd Webber
Prayer - Bruno Canino
Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana - Bruno Canino
Salut D'amour, Op.12 - Bruno Canino
Valse Sentimentale, Op.15 No.6 - Samuel Sanders
Kol Nidrei, Op.47 - Julian Lloyd Webber

Tracks:

Air (Air On A G String) - Julian Lloyd Webber
Clair De Lune - Julian Lloyd Webber
Elegie, Op.24 - Jullian Lloyd Webber
Andante - Heinrich Schiff
Romance In D Minor, Op.62 - Julian Lloyd Webber
Beau Soir - Bruno Canino
Sicilienne, Op.78 - Bruno Canino
Panis Angelicus - Julian Lloyd Webber
Nocturne In E Flat Major, Op.9 No.2 - Julian Lloyd Webber
Cantabile - Samuel Sanders
Liebesleid - Samuel Sanders
Adagio Ma Non Troppo - Janos Starker
Bereuse - Julian Lloyd Webber
Cantilena - Julian Lloyd Webber
Melodie, Op.20 No.1 - Julian Lloyd Webber

Customer Reviews:

really like it.......2007-03-05

This is the first classical cd I have ever bought. The two-disc album was a great price. I really love the performance of Lynn Harrell. I like the collection of Adagios because they are perfect to fall asleep to or study to.

Average customer rating:

Zehetmair brings out the beauty of the pieces
Colossal - this transcends hollow virtuosity
Brilliant Works for Solo Violin
Brilliant renditions
Okay, so I am an idiot and didn't know about this Ysaye guy.

Eugène Ysaÿe: Sonates pour violon solo
Eugene Ysaye , and Thomas Zehetmair
Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Ysaÿe: Solo Violin Sonatas
String Quartets 1 & 3
Bartók: Violin Sonatas
Biber: The Rosary Sonatas
Ysaÿe: Obsession (Six Violin Sonatas)

ASIN: B0002QXRJS
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Tracks:

Sonata No.1 in G Minor
Sonata No.1 in G Minor
Sonata No.1 in G Minor
Sonata No.1 in G Minor
Sonata No.2 In A Minor
Sonata No.2 In A Minor
Sonata No.2 In A Minor
Sonata No.2 In A Minor
Sonata No.3 In D Minor 'Ballade'
Sonata No.4 In E Minor
Sonata No.4 In E Minor
Sonata No.4 In E Minor
Sonata No.5 In G Major
Sonata No.5 In G Major
Sonata No.6 In E Major

Amazon.com

This is a stunning performance of some of the most formidably difficult music in the repertoire. Written by the foremost violinist of his, and perhaps any other time, these six sonatas contain every imaginable--and some unimaginable--technical, tonal, and musical challenge for the instrument and the player. Ysaÿe's acknowledged models were Bach and Paganini, his inspiration six friends and colleagues whose playing he especially admired and to each of whom a sonata is dedicated, tailored to his instrumental and interpretive gifts. The one written for Kreisler even incorporates a little pastiche of his composing style. Although Ysaÿe had stopped performing, he poured into these sonatas his peerless knowledge of the violin and its resources, along with his lifelong experience of it as an expressive tool, creating what is widely regarded by both players and listeners as a set of masterpieces. Clearly, only a virtuoso of the highest caliber as well as intrepid courage can do justice to these works. Thomas Zehetmair has established an international reputation for his consummate technique, stylistic versatility, fiery temperament, emotional intensity, and adventurous spirit. These qualities are on abundant display on this recording, making him an ideal interpreter for these highly charged, powerful, dramatic, mercurial works for which he seems to have a natural affinity. He tosses off the most hair-raising technical feats with effortless ease: double stops of all kinds, chords, runs at top speed all over the fingerboard, tricky bravura bowings, sound effects. He can make the violin sing, speak, sigh and laugh; his tone is gorgeous, vibrant, pure, variable, nuanced; even the pizzicati sound good. He captures every mood and character of the music: its sweet, dreamy graciousness, lyrical repose, joyful exuberance, driving energy, unbridled passion, inexorable obsessiveness. This is an all-out, no-holds-barred performance that will keep you on the edge of your seat. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Zehetmair brings out the beauty of the pieces.......2007-07-23

I've noticed that not many violinists have put these pieces to record. Is it because of their technical difficulty and the fact that Ysaye doesn't have the catchet of Bach or Paginini?

I have the Shumsky recording of these pieces, and while he shows the virtuosity of the works, I don't really hear the beauty and grace of them.

Zehetmair, however, plays these with impeccable virtuosity and also lends a depth and beauty to the pieces that I hadn't heard before.

It sounds like Zehetmair is leaning towards conducting these days; lets hope that he continues to bring out excellent recordings such as this one.

Colossal - this transcends hollow virtuosity.......2006-05-28

This recording is one that I hold quite dear, and it's somewhat ironic that I found it by accident at my library. While I haven't heard any other recordings of these pieces, I am fully ready to say that Zehetmair's technical perfection and emotional range is nothing short of masterful. This repertoire is currently my favorite for the instrument, as I think it suits the violin's unique qualities more than any other works written for it (yes, including paganini and bach).

The liner notes speak of being alone; indeed, nothing but the sound of solitude will pour from your speakers. Ysaye's emotions scream through the violin like only a complete master can compose. From the grimmest sobbing of the bass strings to the hellish pierce of the high notes, my emotions are rarely as stirred and moved as they are from this musical genius. Where super-high notes seemed to be showy flourishes in the past, Ysaye uses them with artistry and reserve that throws the instrument into an entirely different, and many times unsettling, light.

This is what music is about. This music reaches beyond the violin and mere technical flair, it is art of the grandest form. Ysaye's composing is incredibly personal and intricate. I can't believe Ysaye hasn't received more recognition. It's absurd that most of the recordings are out of print.

I highly recommend this recording to anyone interested. And spread the word, Ysaye deserves it.

Brilliant Works for Solo Violin.......2005-12-24

Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) was one of the wonders of the music world when he dominated the scene as the greatest violinist of his day. Unfortunately his performing career was relatively short, but his legacy lives on through his compositions for his chosen instrument, compositions that challenge the every best violinists to reach beyond human capabilities and 'play like the devil'!

This excellent recording of his six Sonatas for Solo Violin is given the kind of performance that will remain a gold standard for some time. Thomas Zehetmair again proves that there are few hurdles he cannot leap and each of the six sonatas are performed with panache, technical brilliance, and zest. The history of the sonatas and the violinists to whom they were dedicated is well known, but it takes performances like these by Zehetmair to point out the subtle references of the dedications.

This is a virtuoso performance of virtuosic compositions and makes a fine addition to everyone's musical library. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

Brilliant renditions.......2005-11-01

Eugene Ysaye was born in Belgium in 1858 and, having taken up the violin at the age of four, he studied with with Wieniawski and Vieuxtemps. During his lifetime Ysaye was best known as a violin virtuoso. Amongst the composers who dedicated major works to him were Chausson (Poeme), Debussy, Franck (the Violin Sonata) and Saint-Saens. Sadly, ill-health limited his performing career, but not before he had gained almost universal fame. However, these days he is perhaps best known as the composer of these sonatas - even though he lacked formal training.

These are wonderful renditions of this unjustly overlooked repertoire. The sonatas are varied enough to keep ones attention from beginning to end. Ysaye's precursors in solo violin sonoatas were Bach and Paganini and there are clear references to them here. If you appreciate those pieces or simply love the violin, then you will really warm to these works, especially as performed here by Zehetmair. I had heard Zehetmair before in, for example, Szymanowski's Concertos, and not really been grabbed, but the playing here is splendid: true musical sensibility as well as virtuoso technique.

A heart-warming recording and worth every penny!

Okay, so I am an idiot and didn't know about this Ysaye guy........2005-03-30

For some reason, I recently picked this up. What I happened upon is one of the great treasures of the solo violin repretoire. Eugene Ysaye (1858-1931) was apparently one of the greatest violinists of all time. His performing career only lasted about 25 years due to health issues but as a teacher he was equally impactive. Among others, he taught Fritz Kreisler and George Enescu.
One day after listening to a performance of the Bach Partitas and Sonatas for Solo Violin by Joseph Szigeti, Ysaye and Szigeti were discussing the relative lack of great material for the solo violin. These sonatas are the result.
They are a magnificent meditation on a lifetime of technique development, of playing Bach, Paganini, Brahms, of listening to gypsy violin and the folk traditions of European music. Ysaye also dedicated each sonata to younger contemporary players incorporating parts of their styles into the pieces as a challenge and inspiration to them. The dedicatees are Szigeti, Kreisler, Quiroga, Crickboom, Enescu and Thibaud. I did not know this (or any of the above info) when first listening to these pieces. But I heard the Kreislerisms immediately. Kreisler leaps out of the phrasing.
But above all it is Bach is that looms over these pieces. Listen to the sample for the first movement of the second sonata on this page. Quotes from Bach are thrown together and distorted in various ways to create new music but music that is very familiar.
My use of "distorted" in the previous sentence is deliberate. Obviously, I am not familiar with other interpretations of these pieces. There are plenty to choose from. Zehetmair is terrific. He has obviously studied these pieces long and hard and thought about how they fit into the tradition. But then I think he decided not to be too concerned with questions of period authenticity and to just play the hell out of these pieces in the moment. Zehetmair plays with an incredible dynamic and tonal range. At times the music is so soft it is hard to hear, at times he hurls phrases like an Olympian god. Zehetmair is able to emphasize the microtonal possibilities of double and triple stops or he can inhabit the center of his tone.
What I am getting at is that this interpretation may be different from what Ysaye intended. It may be a very modern interpretation.
But, on one level, Zehetmair has achieved exactly what Ysaye wanted. This is an exuberant bravura exploration of violin technique using some of the greates source material ever written for the instrument. If you love the Bach pieces, if you love solo violin, you simply must give this CD a listen.

Average customer rating:

Very good, but not the best
Also at a loss for words
Academically Robotic
Simply Amazing - Disregard the Negative Comments
Extraordinarily good

Biber: The Rosary Sonatas

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Biber: Violin Sonatas
Violin Sonatas Op 5
Tartini: The Devil's Sonata / Andrew Manze
Biber: Missa Christi resurgentis
Biber: The Mystery Sonatas

ASIN: B0002JP5DG
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Tracks:

Praeludium
Aria, Variato
Finale
Sonata
Allamanda
Finale
Sonata
Courette, Double
Finale
Ciacona
Praeludium
Alamanda
Giugue
Sarabanda, Double
Lamento
Allamanda
Sarabanda, Variatio
Sonata
Guigue, Double 1, Double 2
Sonata
Courente, Double
Finale

Tracks:

Praeludium
Aria
Variatio, Cont.
Sonata
Surexit Christus Hodie
Adagio
Intrada
Aria Tubicinum
Allamanda
Courente, Double
Sonata
Gavotta
Guigue
Sarabanda
Sonata
Aria
Sonata
Aria, Variatio
Canzona
Sarabanda, Double
Passangalia For Unaccompanied Violin
Scordatura Briefly Explained

Amazon.com

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber created a lasting monument in this series of fifteen sonatas depicting the story of Jesus. The unique element in this music is the technique called scordatura, deliberate mistuning of the violin strings for unusual effects. But listeners will be more aware of the its intense nature. Biber doesn't strive for beautiful melodies most of the time; he has a dramatic story to tell, which he does with remarkably imaginative effects. For a sample, try The Ascension, which hardly sounds baroque at all. If that gets you, you'll continue to enjoy the series. There have been very good recordings of this music by Reinhard Goebel and Marianne Ronez. Manze is an excellent musician in ordinary baroque music, but he really excels in wild and crazy pieces (as on his amazing Tartini CD. His realizations of this radical set, in collaboration with the excellent keyboardist Egarr, go straight to the head of the field, and he even adds a brief demonstration of how scordatura works so you don't have to wonder any more. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Very good, but not the best.......2007-04-11

I would probably be just as amazed as most other reviewers at Manze's interpretation of this unique set of violin sonatas. However, I am very familiar with Goebel's recording, after which he had to stop playing due to the laming of his left hand (he was left-handed, and he played for some time with his right hand after this incident). Goebel also has an amazing technique, but the passion that he's able to extract out of his violin makes Manze's a very good, yet a bit cold and unconvincing version. Goebel is still the reference.

Also at a loss for words.......2005-11-09

These works, in the hands of Manze and Egarr, are almost too perfect and mystical to be marred by description...and besides, your wonderful reviewers (with one exception) have said it all.
I first heard this version on CBC Radio Canada a few weeks ago via Internet. I almost fainted, and yet, aware that something dramatic had just happened to me, I immediately ordered the set from Amazon . It arrived today, two weeks later, and I'm sitting here listening as if I'd just been cured of tone-deafness. Is this what the Elizabethans meant when they put"hearing" at the top of the list for the senses in the Great Chain of Being? If the Virgin Mary was impregnated through the ear, is this what she heard?

I've been managing and producing in the classical music world for some time, and believe me, I'm at a loss for words of gratitude to Andrew Manze not only for his deeply moving performance, something I've grown used to with him, but for opening the inner ear of anyone who cares to listen to something they once called "the music of the spheres". Long live Biber - thanks to the likes of these performers who never allow their virtuosity nor ego to separate them from what seems to be a spiritual devotion.

Academically Robotic.......2005-10-28

Biber is probably one of the most inventive and lyrically expressive violin composer to have come out of ther Austrian Baroque period. Catholicism being synonymous with the Italian Baroque violin tradition of lyricism, Biber's 'Mystery Sonatas' are probably some of the most moving lyrical pieces in the entire Baroque repertoire. The expressive ranges unfortunately remains in the dark in this performance as the piece is performed by Manze who, although a leader in the study of this period, is ironically the least expressive professional violinist for Early Baroque pieces which is ultimately self-defeating. Manze is principally an academic performer instead of a professional one and his performances sound like scale and technique lessons instead of the passionate interpretations they are supposed to be. I can't stand them as it really only appeals to violinists who need to practice the techniques that are painfully overemphasized ad nauseam in recordings such as this one! My case and point, the spotlight reviewer who is a violinist and emphasizes on the clarity of the method as part of his overly positive review of this work as an academic vs. professional performance. This sluggish screeching resulting from his over-methodical applications of technique sounds like a set of nails scratching the chalkboard every time and is ultimately self-defeating because such performances make him sound like nothing more than an amateur and are tedious beyond belief! Musica Antiqua Koln's performance of this piece with Goebels is superior in expressive lyricism to Manze in every way and I wouldn't really waste my money on these. Goebels doesn't get lost in fine tuning academic technique and emphasizes on performance while Manze fine tunes on technique and can't even realize how robotic and acoustically flat his performance is as a result. This album is good only for lessons.

Simply Amazing - Disregard the Negative Comments.......2005-10-17

I doubted whether to buy this or Reinhard Goebel's version of the sonatas. Most reviewers praised this one highly, but one was giving it really bad press, which made me doubt. I haven't bought the other one, and therefore I can't really compare them (though i spent considerable time comparing the previews provided by amazon, i feel the restricted length of the segments and the mediocre quality of the sound don't allow me to speak of other versions), but I have to say this version is just amazing. Manze's performance, far from sounding "stiff and academic", as this minority review suggested, is one of an understated, minimalistic beauty. The sound quality of the recording is exceptional. And the choice to use just one instrument retuned for each sonata, as opposed to used many pre-tuned instruments, does give this version the edge as far as being musically and historically more correct to Biber's original intentions. The change of character in the violin's sound frome one sonata to the next is quite striking and gives depth and texture to the work.

As an aside, I would encourage all prospective buyers who are put off by Octavius' review, to disregard this negative propaganda. Checking his other reviews it seems obvious that this reviewer has some sort of personal agenda of hate towards Andrew Manze. He repeats negative review after negative review by cutting and pasting entire paragraphs avoiding even the effort to write each review from scratch; and probably without even listening to each recording as it seems rather far-fetched that anyone would buy so many records of an artist they disregard so much.

To conclude: if in doubt, preview all versions by yourselves, as they are quite different. I believe those of you who choose this one will not be dissapointed.

Extraordinarily good.......2005-09-04

A combination of superb performance with superb music makes this unbeatable. Andrew Manze is one of the great artists of this (or any) time. Biber turns out to be more exciting and profound than many of his more famous contemporaries. Here you will find the inspiration for much of Handel, and a prototype of Bach's Chaconne for violin. One measure of the quality of this recording is that the music supercedes any limitations of a particular taste or musical experience.

Average customer rating:

Focus on the Recordings
This is a fantastic deal!
Excellent, Broad Selection
$70....when was this???
$70/40... you do the math.

Vivaldi: The Masterworks (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00062FLHY
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Customer Reviews:

Focus on the Recordings.......2007-07-23

I've made this small review of the Vivaldi Masterworks set because it is SO difficult to find a review of such a big collection.

The price is killer and you HAVE to buy it, but be warned: these are not the best recordings, you get what you pay for.

First of all, I'm not a Vivaldi expert, but I've heard his compositions throughout my life in so many different places and recordings and have a vague idea of how some have to be played. Secondly, I'm not a classical music connoisseur, but I love it and have over 300 discs of various composers and styles. Third, I know what a good audio recording should sound like and this will influence my critique of some discs in the collection. Finally, it's easy to get lost among all the tracks contained, so in some cases I will give you my favorite tracks in a disc.

I'm sorry, but I've only reached disc 20 of the box-set, as I listen to more this review will be expanded.

DISC 1:
Why would you use an AAD recording as a first impression for a 40 disc box-set and for the "Four Seasons", which is probably Vivaldi's best know work. The concertos are played enthusiastically, but lack any additional virtuosity to put it ahead of other much better recordings out there.

DISC 2:
Same as DISC 1, played and recorded by the same people.

DISC 3:
The pieces in this disc are VERY well played, nonetheless, you can hear heavy breathing from the soloist which can be a bit annoying.

DISC 4:
Very well performed as well, heavy breathing is less present.

DISC 5:
A very good recording, excellent execution by the hapsichord and good by the recorder.
Tracks 4, 6, 7 and the whole "La Notte" are extraordinary.

DISC 6:
Exquisitely recorded and performed by the Budapest Strings.

DISC 7:
Marvelous performance on the whole disc.
Tracks 22 & 24 are non-plus-ultra.

DISC 8:
Great performance too.
Suggested tracks: 7, 12, 15, 24

DISC 9:
To have an original baroque organ playing is a plus.
Solo strings are lacking in quality (for example: tracks 6 & 7).
Suggested tracks: 1, 4, 8, 15

DISC 10:
Despite being and ADD recording, the quality is fairly good. The cello is very well played.
Suggested tracks: 3, 4, 12
Excellent track: 13

DISC 11:
Same musical group and soloist as DISC 10. The contrabass is extremely distorted sometimes, and if you take into consideration that this is an ADD recording, it can get pretty bad. Some background noise is perceived.
Suggested tracks: 3, 6, 9

DISC 12:
The compositions are somewhat boring, either way the performance is plain decent.
Suggested tracks: 10, 12

DISC 13:
Good performance and sound quality.
Suggested tracks: 1, 4, 6, 7
Excellent track: 12

DISC 14:
Good performance and sound quality too.
Suggested tracks: 10, 14, 16
Excellent track: 5

DISC 15:
Badly mixed, the basoon is blocking the whole ensamble by being in the foreground.
The playing precision is lacking.
An AWEFUL thing about this recording is that you can hear the basson key-sticking with the instrument and the saliva. It's horrible.
Such a pity, the sound of the basson with other instruments can be pretty interesting.

DISC 16:
Violins sound a bit off tempo.
Suggested tracks: 4, 8

DISC 17:
Good sound quality and performance.
Suggested tracks: 1, 7, 9

DISC 18:
Despite being an old recording, it is a very welcome one.
The performance is very well above par. Tempo is fantastic.
The quality of the recording could have been better due to some string plucking that is heard and which can become bothersome.
These are some of Vivaldi's best know tunes.
Suggested tracks: 4, 6, 13
Excellent tracks: 1, 3

DISC 19:
Lively recording.
Track 6 is the same piece found in another disc in the collection, but with a better performance.

DISC 20:
By now you've heard all of this pieces before in the other discs. Nothing new here, nor better.

This is a fantastic deal!.......2007-02-25

If you are a fan at all of the Four Seasons you should love this music. I will admit right now that I am a classical music fan. I don't write or perform it. I am a novice listener. I have never taken any music lessons(though I am leaning in that direction) and certainly have not gone through any university music training. I started out in rock and roll but found classical as I got older and fell in love with it a few years ago.

With that context in mind I do hope I am able to recognize quality and this work is of the highest. It helps when you are starting with good ingredients in the first place. You can't bake great bread without great ingredients and Vivaldi's music library has some of the greatest musical ingredients of the last 300 years. They are very much the foundation for modern western culture and music. His talent is woven through what we are

The first 26 CDs are instrumental starting with the four seasons and working through many of the Master's many popular works. I will admit the four seasons are not the best interpretation I have heard but it is definitely acceptable. The rest of the music shows us many facets of the Baroque style and you can see themes emerging through some of the pieces that give us a 'fingerprint' of Vivaldi's style and the parameters of the stylistic leanings of the genre at the time. If you want to immerse yourself in 18th century music this is your chance

This music would be ideal for someone who owns a store and is looking for background music. With over 26 CDs of instrumental music alone you could have those constantly looping and you'd probably never get bored of them(OK I may be stretching it a little there). The reason is that the music does not leave a bad 'aftertaste' in your mind. It fits into the background as easily and naturally as it is to listen to it consciously in the foreground. If you are a fan of classical Baroque you don't usually need to be in the mood for this, it will adjust your mood to itself and Vivaldi's music is almost always of an uplifting sort if this collection is any indication. If you want something to listen to at your job 8 hours per day this is good for the mind and it would take you over a week to get through it if you listened to it every minute of every work day. You will also work without the worry of the music distracting your concentration. I find it enhances it when I'm working. I don't know how well this would work on school kids but teachers might want to try playing this during school time. You may create a few geniuses, we certainly could use more!

If you are looking for something to ease your sleep and oil your dreams I have put these CD's on in the background. Not only can I easily fall asleep when they are playing quietly in the background but it helps you sleep and you wake up in a very pleasant atmosphere if the music is still playing quietly when you wake(you probably would need to rip them to your MP3 player to do that). It's like napping at a classical music concert without the worry of being nudged by your spouse or offending the other concert goers with your snoring. That will be quite a unique experience for you and possibly give you some real sweet dreams. It has for me

So to wrap it up this is very intelligent, uplifting music that is great for your mind and your soul. It is definitely worth the purchase if you are a fan of the Four Seasons and the Baroque genre in my novice classical music fan's opinion

Excellent, Broad Selection.......2007-01-25

This 40-cd collection affords me a rare pleasure almost daily: the thrill of hearing something new by Vivaldi. Despite my best efforts over the years, I've managed to miss hearing a lot of great works by the master. Listening to a single CD now and then, catching tunes on the radio... you can't possibly get a comprehensive understanding of Vivaldi's output that way.

But when you work your way systematically from CD 1 through 40, you're sure to find many pleasant surprises. I've been skipping through everything I already know -- in some cases, it has only taken me about a minute to get through a whole CD (first 3 seconds of each track is usually enough). But then I stop and listen carefully three or four times to anything that's new.

Ah, what a pleasure. I've already acquired some new favorites. And some old standbys have proved even more rewarding, e.g. at first I thought RV 127 (CD 7, tracks 10-12) was performed too slowly (Naxos No: 8.553742 is much faster), but now I'm not sure; maybe it's BETTER that way! I can't recommend this set highly enough.

$70....when was this???.......2006-11-25

Wish the cost was $70 now. Guess the record producer (or Amazon) got tired of making less than $2 per CD.

$70/40... you do the math........2006-04-07

No, I don't own this collection...yet. However, the price of the collection compels me to review it beforehand. Never have I seen such a complete collection of Vivaldi compositions at such an incredibly low price. At $1.75 dollars a CD, the record producer (Brilliant Classics) isn't making much of a profit. The compilation pulls some of its works from DG Achiv Produktion's vault (see Standage), such as the violin concertos, as well as from unknown producers (the Poland Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra is heavily featured). The collection is so complete that it is academic, and I would not be surprised if music libraries quickly emptied it from Amazon's shelves. The collection is simply worth it for the incredible price (English Concert's recording of the violin concertos cost nearly 30 bucks, and is exactly featured here). Overall, the price alone makes this collection exceptionally attractive, and the ensembles featured aren't bad either.

Average customer rating:

Another World
Yet another forgotten musical genius. Beautiful music
A Monument of Early Violin Music
An Inordinately Beautiful Recording of the Biber Mystery Sonatas
Hauntingly beautiful Baroque fare

Biber: The Mystery Sonatas

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Biber: Violin Sonatas
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Schmelzer: Unarum Fidium /Holloway * Assenbaum * Mortensen

ASIN: B00005UNXG
Release Date: 2002-12-23

Tracks:

Praeludium
Aria And Variations
Adagio
Finale
Sonata
Presto
Allamanda
Presto
Sonata
Courente
Double
Adagio
Ciacona
Praeludium
Allamanda
Guigue
Sarabanda
Double
Lamento
Aria
Adagio
Allamanda
Variatio
Sarabanda
Variatio
Sonata
Presto
Guigue
Double I
Double II
Sonata
Courente
Doubles I & II
Finale
Praeludium
Aria
Variatio 1 - 2
Variatio 3 (Adagio)
Variatio 4 - 5

Tracks:

Sonata
Surrexit Christus Hodie
Adagio
Intrada
Aria Tubicinum
Allamanda
Courente
Double
Sonata
Gavotte
Guigue
Sarabanda
Praeludium
Ciacona (Aria)
Guigue
Sonata
Aria
Canzona
Sarabanda & Double
Passagalia

Customer Reviews:

Another World.......2007-03-29

Biber heartily embraced gypsy tavern violin virtuosity long before Dvorak or Brahms. This is magnificent music full of elegant and earthy contrasts. The sonatas that employ unconventional tuning open up new worlds of harmonic splendour, yet the crowning piece, the Passagalia, which does employ conventional tuning but isn't part of the Mystery Sonatas, is thankfully included as the final work of a two disc journey that soars the heights of heaven and plunges the depths of human experience. I have the original release of this music with its sumptuous and informative booklet: booklet or not, these are exceptional performances combined with an exceptional recording.

Yet another forgotten musical genius. Beautiful music.......2007-03-04

Heinrich Ignaz von Biber was a wonderful composer. The so-called "Mystery Sonatas" also known as the "Rosary Sonatas" have an aire of perfection rarely seen in classical baroque music. Biber has been all too conveniently forgotten and I am not sure why. As with Erik Satie (another of my favorite, yet unknown composers) Biber has managed to shrink in to the darkness of history while his legacy of work should be celebrated.
His work is haunting, exhilarating, enriching and somber. His music conveys a sadness and a joy that few musical works are able to convey. Biber's understanding of orchestration, the workings of instruments in compliment of each other, is astonishing to me. He had an ability, a gift, that only God himself could have given him. If you don't believe in God, then just accept that he was a prodigy of the finest degree and his work was sent from a deep place inside that immediately crawls inside of you. I, personally, call it a religious musical experience.
Absolutely stunning music.

A Monument of Early Violin Music.......2006-12-17

This version of Biber's stupendous ROSARY SONATAS (this is the more correct translation of the original German title) is marked first of all by the stunning virtuosity and graceful lyricism of violinist John Holloway. Simply to master the notes of these sonatas is an immense task in itself: playing scordatura is sort of like ventriloquism, since you are miming a certain set of notes while other notes are sounding. To have worked up these difficult pieces into an intensely expressive, dramatic experience, as Holloway has, is breathtaking. Then there is the variety of continuo instruments arrayed for each sonata. In various tracks we hear organ, harp, lute, violone, lirone (a gamba viol sounding to these ears somewhat like a harmonica) and regal (a small, portable organ with a rasping, nasal sound, used to great effect in the "Crowning with Thorns" sonata). Finally, the fact that this recording is priced far lower than any of the other major versions (Goebbel, Manze) makes it doubly attractive. I was disappointed by the scarcity of program notes, understandable given the budget price: we are not informed, for example, of the scordatura tuning of the individual sonatas, and I would have liked a more detailed discussion of the pictorial and symbolic elements used by Biber in the sonatas. However, the notes include a link to Virgin's website promising "a more detailed introduction".

Perhaps it's best not to take in this colossal work all at once. For a sampler, try tracks 14-15 of CD 2 (the "Assumption" sonata) and hear some of the most buoyant, joyous violin playing in existence. You'll be instantly mesmerized.

An Inordinately Beautiful Recording of the Biber Mystery Sonatas.......2006-09-22

Much can be written about the difficulty of this music form the 17th Century by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber - and other reviewers here have given superb descriptions of those complexities - but the end result of works such as this is in the response it produces in the listener.

Biber wrote these Mystery Sonatas to represent the three sets of mysteries from the Bible: the Birth, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection of Christ. The recording is by Tragicomedia with Davitt Moroney and John Holloway in this impeccably performed recording of impossible music: the music is impossibly difficult to play and impossible not to draw and emotional response from the listener. Some may find this version a bit dry sounding, but for this listener that only enhances the other-worldly sense of the music.

The sixteen sonatas are named as follows: Part I: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation, The Finding in the Temple Part II: The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging of Jesus, The Crowing of Jesus with Thorns, Jesus carries His Cross, The Crucifixion Part III: The Resurrection, The Ascension, The Descent of the Holy Ghost, The Assumption of our Lady, The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Passacaglia. With the simplest combination of instruments Biber was able to elicit the feelings of each of these mysteries.

For those who love Period Music this recording is a complete success and a treasure to own. For those who have yet to step into this ethereal world, this is a very fine beginning. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, September 06

Hauntingly beautiful Baroque fare.......2004-02-23

I own three versions of Biber's Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas, and a fourth recording (by Manze) of other Biber sonatas along with the famous passacaglia that concludes the set. All of the versions (the other two being by Rheinhard Goebel on Archiv and Suzanne Lautenbacher on VOX) are beautiful, because the music is. Perhaps the passacaglia is the most beautiful 8 to 12 minutes (depending on performer) in the entire musical library. I rate the Holloway version as the best in terms of the passacaglia. The pacing seems perfect (Goebel is fast and almost dancelike, Manze quite slow but with more flare) and is about the same as that of Lautenbacher, the latter being performed on a modern instrument with her usual good taste and limited vibrato. Certainly the Holloway version has the most delicious ending to the passacaglia, when the minor key resolves to a major that brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. The Goebel and Manze versions both have a decorative flourish on the final note that, while beautiful, detracts in my opinion from the simple beauty of the key resolution. How two reviewers could give this recording only a single star is beyond comprehension! Even if one grants that Moroney is not as "lively" a harpsichordist as the performers on the other versions, my response is, "So what?" Maybe if you're a harspichord fanatic you drop the ranking from five stars to four, but the work is overwhelmingly a violin piece with harpsichord ACCOMPANIMENT. To downgrade the ranking of the entire recording to one star completely ignores the fantastic beauty, technical perfection, and haunting introspection of Holloway's performance on the violin. Besides, it's not as if Moroney actually is "incompetent." The descrition I would use is "tastefully understated, recognizing that this is primarily a violin recording." In contrast to the fun Goebel version and the good but more yeoman (yeoperson?) Lautenbacher version, Mr. Holloway plays with greater sensitivity but still with plenty of guts (not referring to the strings here) when drama or a discordant double-stop are called for. Again, ALL of the versions I've heard are great, and I'm tempted to buy yet another, but I always recommend the Holloway to my friends.

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