Search - Johann Sebastian Bach :: Bach Works for Violin Solo

Walter W. from SAINT PETERS, PA
Reviewed on 3/13/2008...

I really enjoyed this CD. The chaconne was full of energy, got me addicted.

Forget Hillary Hahn here comes Lara

Homiski | 08/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In a classical market saturated with digitally remastered Szigeti as well as newcomers (Hillary Hahn) recording the golden oldies of classical music, the average listener is confronted with a tsunami of choices. Old masters/new upstarts, same 'old' pieces. On average I buy 5-6 CDs a week (w/ my overall collection around 5000), 4 times out of 5 it is a contemporary music disc of a living composer which has just been recorded for the first time, however that one time I buy a 'dead' composer's CD it HAS to have something fresh and insightful to stand out.How many times have listeners heard yet ANOTHER performance/recording of the warhorse D minor Partita? I hear it played at least 3 times a year at the Conservatory! That said, Lara St. John's Bach disc is one which WILL sit in the memory. Listeners and critics may argue for or against her interpretations, but that belies the fact that her recording actually SAYS something. How many other recordings are 'nice', 'fine' or 'good'? Do they do anything beyond that? Her interpretations are BOLD, powerful and insightful wielding her instrument to sculpt Bach's counterpoint like clay. Each passage and turn brings out some new shape. No where is this more apparent than in the C Major Sonata where she keeps the droll of the opening ostinato and background while adding more sound to shape the outer voices as they come to the foreground. The control required to create such a line are so refreshing and ultimately exhilarating. If you want a hint in understanding Bach's 'complexity', listen to Lara St. John unravel it one phrase at a time."

This is special!

Bob | Mesa, AZ USA | 05/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I play this CD for anyone that will listen and the effect is always magical. If you can listen to Lara play Bach and not be swept up by the power of this music and what she does with it, then you're dead and don't know it yet. My favorite had been Milstein's earlier recordings on EMI but now those sound academic by comparison. Her technique is so secure that she can be expressive and most importantly, moving. This is some of the greatest music ever written, performed amazingly, by a such a young person. Perhaps the key is to learn very young (2 yrs old) and peak at 20. I wish she would complete the set and maybe Sony will let her, because this is special music making and it needs to be perserved for our grandchildren to be inspired by.No other violinist I have ever heard has this gift. This will go to my desert island top five without hesitation. Her Bach Concerto album should be up there too, but that would be unfair to Beethoven, Mozart, and so many other friends. The recording is exceptional even for an HDCD played on normal players. Fine details of bowing can be clearly heard while still preserving the sweet tone of her instrument in the highest registers. Bravo WTP."