Rezension
Gramophone November 2018 | Rob Cowan | November 1, 2018
Bach for Solo Violin
[…] On the evidence of what we hear, the remaining three violinists are rather more au fait (or should I perhaps say ‘connected’?) with current views on Baroque performance practice. Christoph Schickedanz is a seasoned chamber music player and recording artist and offers some imaginative renditions of individual movements, for example the Sarabande from the D minor Partita, where he substantially varies repeated material. In the B minor Partita he takes an emphatically staccato approach to the Corrente, then flies straight into the presto Double. Like Devy Erlih (Doremi) he ‘attaches’ the Doubles to the dances that precede them. The A minor Sonata’s Fugue is thoughtfully played but the poignant Andante that follows it is a little too formal. Here Heifetz (RCA) and Enescu are unrivalled, at least in terms of focused expression. The Chaconne, however, which is pungently played at a good healthy tempo, has an appropriate sense of gravitas about it.
The German-Norwegian violinist and conductor Gottfried von der Goltz is the best known of the group under consideration, principally for his excellent work with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. His approach, though consistent, is drier than either Zsigmondy or Shickedanz, the C major Sonata’s Fugue suggesting little in the way of exaltation – it does drag rather – while the D minor Chaconne is for the most part bereft of expressive vibrato, though there’s something to be said for keeping the tempo more or less steady and some of von der Goltz’s playing at speed is impressive. It’s a good set, very well recorded, but hardly the most memorable on the current market.
The least familiar name among those cited here is Mie Kobayashi, who was invited to become a jury member of the violin division of the Marguerite LongJacques Thibaud International Competition. As to her playing, there are times when she bends the line so severely that it threatens to topple over the edge. The first movement of the First Sonata is pretty slow and the Fugue courts some dynamic extremes, though it’s often quite delicate. Kobayashi will lean into a chord with a purpose, sometimes toying with subtle ritardandos. The opening Allemande of the First Partita occasionally pushes forwards, a dramatic gesture that, while momentarily effective, I wouldn’t want to encounter too often. The Corrente is choppy, like Schickedanz’s, but without the tension that he generates; nor is the presto Double as brilliant as Devy Erlih’s. […]
