J.S. Bach’s six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin are technical and musical marvels. They transform the violin, an instrument usually associated with a single melodic line, into a vehicle of dazzling polyphony.
The collection begins with the purity and resonance of G minor, a key which is centered on the open fifths of the violin’s lowest two strings. The Adagio which opens the Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001 feels grand, melancholy and improvisatory. The chords which outline its harmonic progression are laced together by flowing melodic lines. In the second movement, a brief, spirited subject provides the seed for a mighty fugue. The third movement is a wistful, lilting Siciliana. The Presto which closes the sonata is a brilliant perpetual motion.
Last weekend at the Richmond Symphony, we were joined by eminent Canadian violinist James Ehnes, who performed the Brahms Concerto. Warm and unassuming, Ehnes plays with a spectacular naturalness and ease. He made this recording of the G minor Sonata from his home in 2020 as part of Music Never Sleeps DMF, a 24-hour livestream festival:
Recordings
- J.S. Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, James Ehnes Amazon
Featured Image: photograph by Benjamin Ealovega
Thank you. Most days aroundd this time my poodle and I sit on our porch in NH and listen to your selections.