JS Bach
Sonatas and Partitas
JOHANN Sebastian Bach, probably the greatest composer before Mozart, was not so much part of a musical family as a dynasty.
The Bachs began way back in the 16th Century and went on to the middle of the 19th.
JS was not just a wonderful craftsman, his compositions were rich in humanity as well, and this underlined his abstract works and his religious depictions.
His Passions, of course, show him to be a consummate writer of choral works, but there were thoughtful, more intimate pieces too, as this disc from Deutsche Harmonia Mundi shows.
Violinist Sigiswald Kuijken performs the great composer's Sonatas and Partitas with devastating effect.
He displays great simplicity in his interpretation and this lets Bach's masterpieces speak for themselves.
Kuijken has a firm grasp of musical character and his straightforward playing style is unexaggerated and played with considerable subtlety.
Indeed it is this very simple but effective approach which provides Bach's pieces with its spirit.
This double CD set lasts 135 minutes and is superbly recorded.
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
05472 77527-2
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