Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Jeffrey Kahane, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra :: Bach Concertos

Beautiful, collaborative playing

Dafydd Mac an Leigh | Waltham, MA USA | 09/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hilary Hahn's status as one of the new stars of classical music has been firmly established; however, she has never let her stardom go to her head. She treats the music she plays as the collaborative effort it is, playing *with* an orchestra or pianist rather than simply expecting them to accompany her. And as those of us fortunate enough to have seen her in concert can attest, she seeks out interaction with the audience as well, coming out after every performance - and sometimes during intermission too - to talk with us and sign autographs. In this new CD (her first with Deutsche Grammophon), Hahn further demonstrates her collaborative strengths with a program of Bach chamber music.The album contains the Violin Concerti in A Minor & E (BWV 1041 & 1042 respectively), the Double Concerto (BWV 1043), and the Oboe & Violin Concerto (BVW 1060). Far from the large orchestral affairs that concerti have become, Bach wrote these pieces for the solo instrument(s), a small string section, and a harpsichord. As always, Hahn plays beautifully; her love for the music is evident from the moment she begins, and she displays it with a rich tone and great technical skill. And as befitting Bach's music, she treats her solo line as an extension of the ensemble. The ensemble, in this case, is the excellent Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Led by keyboardist/conductor Jeffrey Kahane, they play with energy, skill, and a real sense of enjoyment. Concertmistress Margaret Batjer and principal oboist Allan Vogel play their solo lines with Hahn as a kind of dialogue, shifting the balance back and forth as the music unfolds.The artistry and musicianship on this album is first-rate, and the CD is sure to delight lovers of Bach, Hahn, and chamber music alike."

Another stellar performance by Hahn

Carl C. Nelson | Thompson Station, TN USA | 09/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hilary Hahn gives us yet another outstanding album in her first effort on the Deutsche Grammophon label. The first word that comes to mind with these performances is 'crisp.' They are precise in tempo and tone; exactly how Bach is meant to be performed! Even slower passages are performed with pulse and bounce. There's no sluggishness like in other renditions that I've heard. One gets the impression that the ensemble strives to honor every intention of Bach.The performers then prove that 'crisp' and 'lyrical' are not mutually exclusive. The complex voicings weave and un-weave in masterful and musical fashion; the musical lines ebb and flow with purity--nothing out of place or character. I cannot escape the feeling that the musicians have given thought to the performance of each note and from that attention to detail comes a beautiful whole.Shortly after Bach's time, the structure of a concerto changed from an ensemble piece for chamber musicians to a piece for soloist and full orchestra. Hence many recordings of these pieces are done by 'name' soloists and 'name' orchestras and lose their intimacy in the process. This recording does not; kudos to DG and Hahn for the choice of the thoroughly musical and consummately professional Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for this disc.The Double Concerto (BWV 1043) is probably the gem of this disc. Bach's original scoring for this piece was intended for either two violins or two harpsichords, which makes one truly appreciate the genius of a composer able to write a single piece that is effective for both a sustaining and a non-sustaining instrument. Hahn and second violinist Margaret Batjer are perfect in their execution of the counterpoint in the first and third movement. The largo ma non tanto movement is phenomenal, as one violin plays the musical line and the other violin accents it in a way that makes the notes from the first better.This disc also contains a piece that I was not overly familiar with--the Concerto for Oboe, Violin, Strings, and Continuo in C minor, BWV 1060. In the only other performances of this piece that I've heard, the violin squeaks, the oboe squeaks, and the piece sounds like the flock of gulls in 'Finding Nemo.' Not so here. The oboe's sound at its best should be like a water drop forming on a faucet--starting gently, filling roundly, and dropping cleanly. Oboist Allan Vogel achieves this. Of course, no composer mastered the interplay of two instruments better than Johann Sebastian Bach--Hahn and Vogel are capable of showcasing that interplay.If I have one tiny, minuscule, Carl-you-need-to-get-a-life nitpick, it's with the choice of another Bach album for Hilary Hahn. Her previous Bach album proved that she has nothing left to prove when it comes to ability or musicianship (as all violinists seem to have to prove themselves worthy before the altar of the mighty Chaconne). I would have preferred that she broaden her recorded catalog rather than deepening it. I suspect that this was DG's request; Hahn has been rather daring with her choice of pieces (Barber, Meyer, Bernstein, Stravinsky in addition to the standard repertoire for violin) in her Sony recordings. Perhaps in the three albums remaining on her new DG contract she will apply her formidable talents to Sibelius, Bruch, or Elgar and I may be happy then and not driven to find a fault with such an outstanding recording."

And I thought I knew this concerto (#2)

Bruce Zeisel | Albany, NY United States | 04/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is great! Not that the SACD sound is all that great - sadly this is not a demo of what SACD can do. Hahn really deserves the best. But wow! It sure is a demo of what Hahn can do and I mean musically, not just technically. I had always thought of the concerto #2 as a sort of bore compared to such as Bruch, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev etc. Hilary Hahn proves that it is a wonderful, toe-tapping energetic exciting work that you will come to love not just respect. The other works are beautifully executed by all concerned - except that, as I say the sound could - no, SHOULD have been a litte more refined. DG ought to listen to some Telarc SACDs to learn what can be done in this technology. I've been priveleged to hear Hahn in Boston's Symphony Hall and in Carnegie Hall, and I have yet to hear a recording that communicates the special beauty of her sound."