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The instruments played in
this recording are either still
in their original condition, or
they have been restored to this,
in order to give an unfalsified
sound-picture. Gut strings were
also specially made after
thoroughgoing experiments, only
the G strings of the violins
being covered with silver
(already documented as early as
the 17th century). The core of
the collection of instruments
used here consists of
instruments by Stainer or his
school (Klotz, Hollmayr, Posch).
These correspond particularly
closely to the sound-ideal of
German composers of the baroque
age. (The Köthen orchestra, for
whom Bach wrote the violin
concertos, had very expensive
Tyrolean instruments, probably
by Stainer.) These instruments
are played with the short and
light bow of the 18th century. -
The constitution of the
orchestra as envisaged by Bach
was naturally just as small as
for the Brandenburg Concertos.
The style of interpretation
appropriate to the violin
concerto of the 19th century,
which lets the soloist dominate
over the orchestra, is out of
place in these concertos. His
role here is not that of a
resplendent virtuoso, but more
that of a choir soloist in
relation to the whole choir. A
dynamic scheme thus arises that
elucidates the form: the solos -
piano, the tutti passages -
forte.
J.S. Bach wrote the Violin
Concertos in A minor and E major
around 1720, in the years that
were to be for him the happiest
creative period of his life - as
Director of Music to His
Highness the Prince of
Anhalt-Cöthen from 1717 to 1723.
In the Concerto in D
minor for two solo violins,
the dialogue does not take
place, as one might expect,
between the solo instruments,
but
between both instruments
and the orchestra. To make the
music "speak" was one of the
chief desires of composers and
performers. The articulation of
the semiquaver notes, as in the
first movement of this concerto,
must thus always be varied, far
removed from the uniform "Bach
stroke". - ln the slow movement
the orchestra has only a
continuo function. The two solo
instruments vie with one another
in their wonderful melody, while
here again the great line may
not inhibit the details of the
phrasing. The present-day ideal
of continuo sostenuto playing
was foreign to the musicians of
that time; each note had to
"have its proper strength and
weakness". Bach’s phrasing is
meticulous in the extreme, and
never to be understood as mere
bowing marks but as specifically
required articulation. - The old
requirement "in each bar a
different emotion" is very
clearly realized in the third
movement. In the middle of the
hectic chase of the opening
tutti there are two imploring
interjections by the soloists
which are brusquely rejected by
the orchestra. The main motif of
the solo violins is formed from
these interjections. The
orchestra adheres to the
impetuous opening motif
throughout the movement.
Specifically prescribed
springing types of bowing give
rise to jazz-like shifts of
accent. Extreme contrasts are
the main feature of this
movement.
The Concerto in E
major is,in the relative
weight of its movements, almost
reminiscent of an
ouverture-suite. In the broadly
conceived first movement the
orchestra carries the main part
of the musical substance,
whereas the solo is always of a
dreamily improvisatory
character. The Adagio cadenza of
this movement is composed
without a bass; the chords
otherwise played here are from
the harpsichord version of the
concerto. There they
make sense, since such a melody
in a single part sounds
senseless on the harpsichord, a
chordal instrument; on the
violin the empty, completely
free descent particuarly
underlines the spontaneous,
improvisatory character of this
part. - The slow movement is
constructed on an ostinato bass.
Here the soloist has the
opportunity, as already in the
first movement, for baroque
rubato playing. In the
accompanying string parts Bach
uses the popular effect of the
bow tremolo or bow vibrato; the
orchestra accompanies the
soloist in chords “with a
pulsating hand in which the bow
is held, in the manner of the
Tremulant on the organs..."
(Farina, 17th century). These
weighty movements are followed
by a light Rondo, in the
episodes of which the solo part
leads ever new transformations
of arpeggio figures to a
turbulent conclusion. In the two
outer movements of
the Concerto in A
minor the thematic material
of the introduction is given
exclusively to the orchestra,
while the solo passages are
strongly contrasted to it in
expression. In the accompaniment
of some solo passages of the
first movement, Bach again uses
the bow vibrato described above.
- In the slow movement, the
basso ostinato is not played
exactly in rhythm as noted down
but, in accordance with the
rules of the time, the
demisemiquaver group is played
somewhat late. The Finale
acquires a dance-like character
through the rhythm and
forward-driving energy of the
gigue.
Die Instrumente:
- Violine: Jacobus Stainer,
Absam 1658
- Violine: Jacobus Stainer,
Absam 1677
- Violine: Klotz Mittenwald, 18.
Jh.
- Violine: Furber, London 1804
- Viola: Marcellus Hollmayr,
Wien 17. Jh.
- Violoncello: Andrea
Castagneri, Paris 1744
- Violone: Antony Stefan Posch,
Wien 1729
- Cembalo: Kopie eines
italienischen Kielflügels um
1700 von M. Skowroneck, Bremen
1957
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