Bach: Violin Concertos - Isabelle Faust (2 CDs)

After the double album of the Violin and Harpsichord Sonatas with Kristian Bezuidenhout, a bestseller in 2018, here is the next instalment in a Bach recording adventure that began nine years ago with a set of the Sonatas and Partitas now regarded as a benchmark. Isabelle Faust, Bernhard Forck and his partners at the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin have explored a multitude of other works by Bach: harpsichord concertos, trio sonatas for organ, instrumental movements from sacred cantatas etc. All are revealed here as direct or indirect relatives of the three monumental Concertos BWV 1041-43. This fascinating achievement is a timely reminder that the master of The Well-Tempered Clavier was also a virtuoso violinist!

Disc 1

Violin Concerto, BWV 1052R
in D Minor / ré mineur / d-Moll
1I. Allegro 6'54
2II. Adagio 5'49
3III. Allegro 6'49
4I. Sinfonia 5'07

Violin Concerto, BWV 1042
in E Major / Mi majeur / E-Dur
5I. Allegro 7'06
6II. Adagio 5'33
7III. Allegro assai 2'31
8Sinfonia 3'01

Trio Sonata, BWV 529
(Arr. for 2 violins and basso continuo)
in C Major / Ut majeur / C-Dur
9I. Allegro 3'53
10II. Largo 4'56
11III. Allegro 2'45

Concerto for violin and oboe, BWV 1060R
in C Minor / ut mineur / c-Moll
12I. Allegro 4'28
13II. Largo ovvero Adagio 4'50
14III. Allegro 3'08

Disc 2

Overture No.2, BWV 1067
in B Minor / si mineur / b-Moll
1I. Ouverture 10'04
2II. Rondeau 1'37
3III. Sarabande 2'27
4IV. Bourrées I & II 1'55
5V. Polonaise. Moderato e staccato. Double 3'37
6VI. Menuet 1'02
7VII. Badinerie. Staccato 1'17

Trio Sonata, BWV 527
(Arr. for oboe, violin and basso continuo)
in D Minor / ré mineur / d-Moll
8I. Andante 4'18
9II. Adagio e dolce 4'40
10III. Vivace 3'10

Violin Concerto, BWV 1056R
in G Minor / sol mineur / g-Moll
11I. [no tempo marking] 3'11
12II. Largo 2'52
13III. Presto 3'12
14I. Sonata. Grave. Adagio 2'11

Violin Concerto, BWV 1041
in A Minor / la mineur / a-Moll
15I. [no tempo marking] 3'21
16II. Andante 4'49
17III. Allegro assai 3'16

18Sinfonia, BWV 1045
in D Major / Ré majeur / D-Dur 5'25

Concerto for 2 violins, BWV 1043
in D Minor / ré mineur / d-Moll
19I. Vivace 3'20
20II. Largo ma non tanto 5'50
21III. Allegro 4'22