Composer: Arvo Pärt, Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer: Arabella Steinbacher, Christoph Koncz, Peter von Wienhardt
Orchestra: Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Pentatone
Catalogue: PTC5187017
Release: 2023
Size: 2.49 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Pärt: Fratres for Violin, Strings & Percussion
Bach: Violin Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV1042
02. I. Allegro
03. II. Adagio
04. III. Allegro assai
Bach: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, BWV1041
05. I. Allegro moderato
06. II. Andante
07. III. Allegro assai
Bach: Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV1043
08. I. Vivace
09. II. Largo, ma non tanto
10. III. Allegro
11. Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel
Any number of recordings pair Bach’s music with those of the minimalists, with Pärt being primary among them. The idea is that Baroque-style instrumental figuration is common to both and offers a contrast to Romantic musical dynamics. However, the equation is often too pat, and the two composers require some mediation to make them fit. That is what happens in this release by violinist Arabella Steinbacher and the conductorless Stuttgarter Kammerorchester. Steinbacher’s solution is not to enliven Pärt but to push Bach in a minimalist direction with straightforward, rather featureless performances where the violin (or pair of violins in the Concerto for two violins and orchestra in D minor, BWV 1043) is blended into the textures. It works for several reasons. One is Steinbacher’s Guarneri violin, with a gorgeous sonority that flows through the slow movements and forms a counterpart to the rich resonances of Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel, which closes the program. Beyond that is the dynamic of the entire program, which takes on a hypnotic quality. One might not choose Steinbacher’s Bach concertos on their own, but in this context, they have a cumulative effect. This novel recording is especially recommended to Pärt fans.