Thursday 10 March 2016

Bach - Complete Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord - Podger/Pinnock


Rating: 5/5

Review:
Outstanding bach

These are wonderful discs. Bach's sonatas for violin and cembalo are delightful, rewarding works, but can be hard to get into, in my experience. Previously I have had recordings by Elizabeth Wallfisch and Richard Tunnicliffe and by Fabio Biondi and Rinaldo Alessandrini - both world class duos, and fine performances in their way. However, I always had a sense with both of somehow working ones way rather ploddingly through the sonatas (most certainly not what I'd expect from Biondi!) and they had a slightly turgid, uninvolving feel to them.

Podger and Pinnock dispel this instantly. Rachel Podger's wonderful lightness of touch doesn't trivialise the music in any way but, as with her solo Bach, brings a sparkle and verve which light up the whole disc. And Trevor Pinnock plays with the enthusiasm and energy of a young tyro while bringing the depth of his decades of experience to bear. The combination is irresistible. Any Bach enthusiast will want these sonatas in their collection, and this is the finest recording I've come across by some distance. It is also very reasonably priced. In my view, you can't go wrong with these discs - very warmly recommended indeed.

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