你好 Back in the day, before CDs became a threatened species, due to moves, or new purchases and the resulting space considerations, I was forced to cull my music collection. It didn’t seem like such a big deal: there were plenty of record/cd stores around. In the event I discovered that I’d made a mistake and/or found I missed something I’d sold or given away, I could always pick another one up. I know I can order something from Amazon or Arkive online, but there was something so attractive about an instantly filling a musical ache, with the added bonus of going through the racks and uncovering yet another treasure.

A couple of weeks ago, my ears still ringing after a stirring performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in the open air at Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival, I was so knocked out, I was barely able to put one foot in front of the other. Somehow I found myself at a Borders nearby, going through their limited classical music selection, with what the Germans call an ear worm. There was a sound in my head that I wanted to match.

No it wasn’t more choral music, not another Missa, not even Beethoven. As I went through the thinned-out rack of classical music, I was frustrated: I didn’t know what I wanted, but I sure knew what I didn’t want. It seemed almost certain that I wouldn’t find anything, when like a good old friend you haven’t seen in years and years, I spotted the Bach Violin Concertos. I’d owned them once. Why in the world had I ever given them away? Was it a poor performance, or one of those early metallic sounding CD transfers?

This is a Bach to revel in. Like the incredible Brandenburg concertos, these concertos were composed in Bach’s middle period, when he was court organist and orchestral director in Cothen. Luckily for us, Bach was more or less forced to concentrate on orchestral music. Not only was Bach an organist of repute, he also played the violin. He had learned the art of playing and writing from Vivaldi. Cothen’s Prince Leopold, Bach’s employer, it turns out, had a very rare and expensive set of Vivaldi’s scores in his library and Bach had patiently transcribed them for himself.

Because of this, it is believed that Bach composed a great many works for the violin, but only three works specifically written for the violin have been found – at least so far. On the basis of their phrasing and God knows what else, experts have concluded that many of Bach’s concertos for harpsichord are actually arrangements of his violin concertos. In any case, all we have are two concertos: the A-minor and E major for Violin and Orchestra and the masterful Double violin concerto.

Look, it could be worse. We could have the equivalent of Vivaldi’s zillion concertos, and then finding gems of this quality would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Whatever, I’m glad we have these, Vivaldi-like in form (three movements: fast-slow-fast), but not like the Italian in temperament. Bach uses the beautiful slow middle movements to emotionally anchor the pieces.

Bach didn’t want his soloist to stand rigidly apart from the orchestra. His solo writing aims for a richer, more resonant effect, which he gets by having the solo violin share musical themes with them. Reminiscent of Bach’s earlier choral music perhaps? Whatever, these are sumptuous pieces.


What’s in our player now: J.S. Bach: “Double” Concerto, Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman, Sony Classical Legacy-SK 92732

There are lots of superb violinists around right now. With high-octane people the likes of Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vengerov, Leila Josefowitcz , James Ehnes, Julia Fischer, and Sony’s King of The Crossovers, Josh Bell, not to mention Itzhak Perlman himself, all living, breathing, and performing stunningly, what can Isaac Stern have to offer?

I seriously doubt whether the world has ever had as many wonderful violinists living at one time; so what can Stern's appeal be? There is an effortless, warm golden Stern sound that sings and can lay down a melodic line like no one else I’ve ever heard. Musicians reading this may smile (indulgently, we hope) , but it was more than the violin Stern played; it was the man’s heart, the man’s intelligence coming through.

There are some extraordinary musicians out there, but to these ears, only Perlman, whom Stern discovered and brought to the US, can come close to his humanity and satisfying musicianship. Stern doesn't have to strain and shout, he just is. Or rather was.
But listen and see what you think.