Some 2000 years before J.S. Bach wrote
his Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin,
the Greek philosopher Aristocles (Plato)
penned a perspective of music, the essence
of which could have not been more relevant
to these magnificent works had the composer
himself written it:
Music is a moral law.
It gives a soul to the universe,
wings to the wind, flight to the imagination,
a charm to sadness, gaiety, and life
to everything.
It is the essence of order and leads
to all that is good,
just and beautiful, of which it is this
invisible,
but nevertheless dazzling,
passionate, and eternal form.
A perceived spiritual
aspect of these works is acknowledged
by many, including Gidon Kremer the
violinist featured on this new ECM release
of J.S. Bach’s Partitas and Sonatas
for solo violin. Whether this arises
out of association with Bach’s own deeply
committed spiritual disposition, the
spiritual reawakening of some musicians
who record these six masterpieces in
their more mature years, is a matter
of conjecture.
Having listened to
numerous interpretations of the Partitas
and Sonatas over many years, this writer
has significant empathy for the expressed
view of Gidon Kremer. During an interview
with Jean-Louis Validire (Nov. 4, 2005
in Le Figaro) Kremer gives further insight
into this aspect of his interpretation:
" You are not
supposed to pronounce the name of God
as it is in the scriptures and to me
Bach is God. It is obvious that his
music was written by someone who came
from another planet but at the same
time he was a human being ... My
challenge was to treat Bach like a contemporary
composer. How it will be judged is not
my concern."
The Partitas and Sonatas
share with the Suites for Unaccompanied
Cello a number of things; one is the
frequency with which the same artists
have recorded them. Mischa Maisky has
recorded the Cello Suites twice. This
is also the second recorded rendition
of the Partitas and Sonatas by Gidon
Kremer; his first for Philips, made
in 1980 appears to be out of print and
is difficult to procure. On this occasion
comparison between the original and
current version, however relevant and
desirable, is therefore not possible.
Gidon Kremer chose
ECM because it was the company in which
he had the most confidence and which
shared his values; also because he felt
there would be no interference and the
recording would freely bear his signature.
Another aspect which
Kremer may not have initially considered
in choosing ECM, but which has had a
profound effect on the results, is the
technical/sonic quality of the recording.
Generally characteristic of recordings
made by ECM, the clarity and definition
of these particular discs is "equalled
by few and exceeded by none". When
such superb recordings are auditioned
on high quality sound equipment, added
dimensions of realism and enjoyment
are discovered.
Here is an appropriate
place to acknowledge the contribution
made by Mr Kremer’s violin - a Guarneri
(ex-David) from 1730 - to the recording’s
excellence. For those less familiar
with the nomenclature, this instrument
is so designated because it was once
owned by Ferdinand David, concertmaster
of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
in the mid-19th century.
Heifetz also owned a Guarneri (ex-David)
of 1742, which he purchased in 1922
for the princely sum of $30,000; he
declined to sell it in 1969 for $3 million.
One can imagine how Mr. Kremer felt
when, during a concert tour in the USA,
he discovered that he had left his Guarneri
violin on the train at Baltimore’s Penn
Station!
An Attempted Approach
When a great musician
assumes an attitude of humility one’s
empathy for what he has achieved is
invariably heightened. Regarding his
performance of these works Kremer comments
thus:
"As for myself
I can only say about this new recording
that it’s like the "worldly goods"
left behind by a humble musician who
has recognized his own abilities as
well as the limits imposed upon him
by the times in which he lived, who
yet allowed himself - in the hope that
it would prove to be of service
to music - to make a last confession
(a "reading of the notes")".
As a group - or individually
- these three partitas and sonatas are
amazing music.
Gidon Kremer notes:
"Time passes,
whether that of the creator or of the
servant, while the black dots and strokes
are caught by ink and paper stay forever.
Ages before our Internet era these little
symbols carried gigabytes of information,
but unlike what we can download today,
they were always full of spiritual value.
We question them and they continue to
tell us something, while at the same
time questioning us all."
In making this recording
Gidon Kremer tried to forget all other
interpretations and concentrate on all
the musical problems as well as aiming
to be true to the score.
There is great vitality
and energy in this playing - scientists
refer to "kinetic energy,"
the energy of motion. The Gigue from
BWV 1004 (Disc 2 Tr. 4) generates visions
of a waterfall in flood.
A unique aspect of
this recording is the differential between
the softest and loudest passages within
a movement - well illustrated by reference
to the Fugue from Sonata No. 2 (Disc
1, Tr.14). This dynamic range results
in an effect parallelling that achieved
by the Tallis Scholars performing Allegri’s
Miserere (Gimell 454 939-2). Here, in
a reverberant building, the soloists
are placed some distance from the rest
of the choir, resulting in a vivid presence
and dimension to the sound. Here the
effect is almost like that of a second
violin with duplication of fugue voices.
The crowning glory
of the set is Partita No. 2, BWV 1004,
and in particular the Ciaccona. This
music will test the technical and musical
prowess of any violinist to their limits.
There is difference of opinion as to
whether those movements bearing dance
names of the time were so named as a
matter of convention or because they
were intended to act as potential accompaniment.
The interpretations by Mr Kremer lend
validation in favour of the latter role.
The Courante from this Partita has strikingly
accented rhythms and in the Gigue it
is difficult to remain motionless. At
a playing time of 14:00 minutes the
tempo of the Ciaccona is just right.
Masterful and sensitive bowing of multiple-stoppings
gives exceptional clarity to both bass
and treble voices. Nathan Milstein’s
use of the bow in such passages was
once described, as "like violent
slashes with a sword". It may be
emulation of that approach that endows
many versions of this music with a rather
raspy-jerky quality. As in several other
movements, dynamic range between softest
and loudest on the review discs is quite
marked, again giving an impression of
increased voices.
Listening to the review
discs reminds this writer of an especially
emotional past experience: meeting for
the very first time the mature son of
a lifelong and loved friend - a physical
clone of his father yet as an individual
so distinctly and uniquely different.
Numerous alternative
recordings of these works provides a
wide choice and new ones appear with
regularity. There is no one "best
recording" and there never will
be. Of the many this writer has heard
and more than a dozen owned, the review
discs compare more than favourably.
All things considered
if persuaded by a neophyte to recommend
a version with outstanding diverse virtues,
it would be this one. For aficionados
a significant void will exist in their
collection if this fine recording is
not included. Highly recommended listening.
Zane Turner
Gidon Kremer, violin 
