J.S.BACH:SONATAS & PARTITAS VOL.2:PARTITA NO.3/SONATA NO.2 & NO.3:RACHEL PODGER(vn)

Ah, Bach's lyrical sonatas and partitas for solo violin! Wait: Bach's lyrical sonatas and partitas? One has heard of Bach's emotional or intellectual or spiritual sonatas and partitas -- but never Bach's lyrical sonatas and partitas. And yet when Rachel Podger plays Bach's sonatas and partitas on her unreconstructed 1739 Pesariuius violin, they do indeed sound first and foremost lyric. With a dulcet tone and very expressive phrasing, Podger makes Bach's music sound preeminently lyrical, that is to say, vocal. Although clearly a superb technician, Podger's formidable prowess disappears completely inside her shaping, her molding, and her breathing of the melodies. Compared with most other violinists, Podger's E major Partita is warmer and wittier, her A minor Sonata is stronger and more serious. Her C major Sonata is lighter and more luminous. While by no means the only recording of the works one should hear -- there's the emotional Milstein, the intellectual Kuijken, or the spiritual Vegh among many, many others -- Podger's 1999 recording should be heard by anyone who knows and loves the works. With a slight halo around the instrument, Canal Classics' recording is clear and deep and has a real sense of time and place.