{"id":16059,"date":"2013-11-18T09:15:31","date_gmt":"2013-11-18T14:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=16059"},"modified":"2013-11-18T09:15:31","modified_gmt":"2013-11-18T14:15:31","slug":"daily-album-review-16-beguiling-bach-from-dutch-violinist-janine-jansen-and-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2013\/11\/18\/daily-album-review-16-beguiling-bach-from-dutch-violinist-janine-jansen-and-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily album review 16: Beguiling Bach from Dutch violinist Janine Jansen and friends"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(Klaus<\/a>
(Klaus Rudolph photo.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The all ’round goodness of the historically informed performance movement gets strong reinforcement when modern artists like Dutch violinist Janine Jansen use its principles to put a compelling individual stamp on their music.<\/p>\n

Jansen’s new, all-Bach album on the Decca label percolates beguilingly from beginning to end, thanks to her spirited yet sensitive playing — and the help of 12 hand-picked collaborators. Jansen is clearly playing a modern instrument, but she wields her bow with the lightness and rhythmic sensitivity of the very best period performers — and her colleagues follow suit.<\/p>\n

The material on the album is familiar and well-loved: the two Violin Concertos<\/em>, in A minor, BWV 1041 and E Major, BWV 1042, and the third and fourth of the Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord<\/em>, BWV 1016 & 1017, as well as the C minor Concerto for Violin and Oboe<\/em>, BWV 1060 (with lovely work on the double-reed instrument by Ram\u00f3n Ortega Quero).<\/p>\n

Thanks to Tafelmusik, Torontonians have had regular opportunities to hear this music rendered in a historically sensitive way. There are also many recordings out there that embrace all performance styles. Jansen’s work stands out for its elegant clarity and the way in which she and her collaborators bring out lyrical side of J.S. Bach’s craft.<\/p>\n

This is human Bach, not Bach the musical mathematician or self-conscious contrapuntalist. This is music with soul, given the breath of new life by a supremely talented soloist.<\/p>\n

In short, this is one of the best new albums of the season.<\/p>\n

Decca’s website and CD booklets are amazingly unhelpful, but you can start here<\/a> anyway.<\/p>\n

Here is a sampler:<\/p>\n