Mutter, Accardo: Bach – Violin Concertos (APE)

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Salvatore Accardo, Leslie Pearson
Orchestra: English Chamber Orchestra
Conductor: Salvatore Accardo
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: EMI Classics
Size: 245 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

# Concerto for violin, strings & continuo No. 2 in E major, BWV 1042
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
with English Chamber Orchestra, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Leslie Pearson
Conducted by Salvatore Accardo

# Concerto for 2 violins, strings & continuo in D minor (“Double”), BWV 1043
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
with English Chamber Orchestra, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Leslie Pearson
Conducted by Salvatore Accardo

# Concerto for violin, strings & continuo No. 1 in A minor, BWV 1041
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
with English Chamber Orchestra, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Leslie Pearson
Conducted by Salvatore Accardo

01. Violin Concerto In E BWV1042: I. Allegro
02. Violin Concerto In E BWV1042: II. Adagio
03. Violin Concerto In E BWV1042: III. Allegro AssaiTrack
04. Double Violin Concerto In D Minor BWV1043: I. Vivace
05. Double Violin Concerto In D Minor BWV1043: II. Largo Ma Non Tanto
06. Double Violin Concerto In D Minor BWV1043: III. Allegro
07. Violin Concerto In A Minor BWV1041: I. [Allegro]
08. Violin Concerto In A minor BWV1041: II. Andante
09. Violin Concerto In A minor BWV1041: III. Allegro Assai

Excellent rendition by Anne-Shophie and Accardo.

But certainly too slow for me… The overall tone of the performance is one of sadness and melancholia, rather than joy and happiness. Papa Bach wrote these concertos to dance and light up, not to get an audience depressed, dormant or low keyed, and that’s the way I see it.
I’ve heard other performances (Yehudi Menuhin, Erick Friedman, Christian Ferras, etc.) with a lot more life put into the interpretation. But I would be unfair if I say this is not a good production and an outstanding rendition from the artists. It is an excellent one! The sound is terrific (though my first impression was that the batteries in my portable CD player were weakening). The English Chamber Orchestra behind them kept on the same plane as the performers, and its rendition is majestic. Mutter and Accardo, as soloists, did also a great job. They are rated among the best violinists in the Western World. But this is not the Mutter you’ve heard with Karajan when she was a teen. Here, as in her second recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, she is a more calmed, serene, ethereal fiedler. The good thing is that you hear more music and less pyrotechnical show off. If you don’t care about their pace in this delivery or if you just want to close your eyes and relax and maybe succeed with your insomnia, this is a wonderful product to your ears and your soul. But if you are like I am, and you prefer to listen music with your eyes and your ears wide open, there are better choices for you.