Search - Johann Sebastian Bach :: Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

Enescu's Sublimely Communicative Solo Bach

Jeffrey Lipscomb | Sacramento, CA United States | 06/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 2-disc set of Bach's Six Solo Violin Sonatas & Partitas deserves a 10-star rating. In some 40 years of collecting, I have never encountered anything that transcends what is heard here. This is quite simply some of the most supremely communicative solo playing of ANY composer's music by ANY instrumentalist.



Georges Enescu (1881-1955) was an extraordinary musician. One of the last century's most gifted composers, his works go far beyond the Two Romanian Rhapsodies for which he is most popular today. One of the greatest violinists of all time, Enescu was also a brilliant conductor: his Schumann 2nd Symphony on a Dutton CD (see my review) is one of the all-time great accounts, and there is also a phenomenal "live" Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony that was once available on a Dante LYS CD. The great pianist Alfred Cortot once admitted that Enescu's piano proficiency was superior to his own. Enescu was also blessed with a photographic memory (he knew most Western musical masterpieces, including some 150 Bach Cantatas, by heart).



The excellent essay by Lawrence Cosentino that accompanies this CD set relates that "Enescu's student Yehudi Menuhin called him 'the most extraordinary human being, the greatest musician and the most formative influence I have ever experienced.' Pablo Casals said he was the most phenomenal musical talent since Mozart.... The many tales of his boundless energy and facility simply boggle the mind. Once, as part of an impromptu lesson for an enthralled Amadeus Quartet, he sat down at a piano for several hours and played all of the Beethoven string quartets, with running commentary, off the top of his head."



These sublime Bach recordings were among the last Enescu ever made. Even in his late sixties and suffering from arthritis, Enescu retained a sovereign technique. Here and there is some imperfect intonation and a few signs of strain, but these are little more than tiny imperfections in a Grand Master painting. I have owned numerous sets of Bach's solo violin works over the years, but none of them (even Johanna Martzy's extremely secure readings on EMI) are a match for the profoundly musical insights of this one. Only the recordings left by Adolf Busch (incomplete) and Joseph Szigeti even approach the level set here by Enescu.



These recordings were made in 1949 for Don Gabor (proprietor of the fabled Remington LP label), and they were issued on an incredibly rare 3-LP set on the Continental LP label (also owned by Gabor). And when I say "incredibly rare," consider this: the 1995 edition of "Canfield's Guide to Classical Recordings" (the bible of rare LP collectors) lists the three Continental LPs as "the Holy Grail of all records!" The set is priced there at $4,000! So this well-transferred CD offering is a remarkable bargain.



Very highest recommendation.



Jeff Lipscomb"

A wonderful chance to hear a neglected musical giant

jarjarloop | St. Paul, MN United States | 05/17/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This release of the Bach unaccompanied violin works is a wonderful chance to hear one of the great violinists of the early 20th century. George Enescu (1881-1955) was a prodigiously gifted musician that excelled in multiple roles: he was a master conductor, violinist, pianist, teacher, and perhaps most importantly, a composer. He had a musical memory beyond compare, knowing by memory (and in great detail) almost the entire classical and romantic literature.Enescu was also a highly respected interpreter of Bach. His interpretations are incredibly modern (and do not fall victim to an overly romantic approach, as is the case with most of his generation) and hold up with the best readings that I have heard of these works. His authoritative rhythmic integrity and his amazing sense of line make this a worthy purchase. As an interpreter of Bach, Enescu compares favorably to legendary artists such as Milstein and Szeryng.Unfortunately, at the time of these recordings (1949), Enescu was losing his ability to hear pitches accurately and his intonation is certainly affected. Because of this fact, the recordings are sometimes harder to listen to than they would be otherwise. I cannot, therefore, recommend it to a casual listener, but I would certainly recommend it to a violinist that would like to hear how to elegantly phrase Bach or any serious music lover that can overlook the intonation problems. If you wish to hear Enescu the violinist with his full technical powers, seek out his recording of Chausson's Poeme. Nonetheless, this recording shows the interpretive power of a true violin master."

A Seemless Robe

R. C. Ross | Birmingham | 04/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is truth. After this all is trivial.
Enescu's bow weaves an amazing seemless robe of each movement, seeming to compress its time-span while expounding it depths and wonder.Nowhere is this experienced to better effect than in the great Partita No 2, the mighty Chaconne is a revelation of glory because it is a revealtion of humility - deep insight, absolutely no attempt to draw attention from the music to the performer, not an grain of self-pity or self-regard.A most wonderful and uplifting experience.
Take all but leave me this.If Bach is played in heaven - and can we could doubt that he is - then this is how he is played!No wonder Pablo Casals thought Enescu the greatest musical mind since Mozart!"