Eugène Ysaÿe heard his younger colleague Joseph Szigeti perform one of the Bach solo sonatas, after which the two violinists discussed the lack of major unaccompanied repertoire for their instrument. In response, Ysaÿe sketched six solo sonatas in a single 24-hour sitting, revising and preparing them for publication in 1924. Each sonata bears a dedication to a violinist whose performing style is more or less depicted in the music. While the works are distinctly individual, Bach’s benign shadow informs their wide-ranging textures and classical proportions, no matter how rhapsodic the passagework can seem on the surface. Benjamin Schmid’s excellent technique enables him to toss off Ysaÿe’s cruel double stops and zigzag apreggiated figures without sweating buckets. But he is all too fond of toying with the beat, habitually distending the pulse when making diminuendos, or rushing ahead like a puppy let off a leash. The First Sonata’s “Fugato”, for example, proceeds in fits and starts, crying out for a basic pulse. Conversely, the pizzicato opening to the Fourth Sonata’s “Sarabande” runs itself in the ground via Schmid’s clunky distensions.
At the same time, Schmid brings deft characterization and demonic fervor to the volatile Second Sonata, especially the “Obsession” movement’s six “Dies Irae” variations and sound-bites from the Prelude to Bach’s E major Partita. Schmid’s impulsive Third Sonata (the well-known “Ballade” in one movement) lacks Oistrakh’s lyric grace and long-lined vision, but what daring, in-your-face portamentos! Similarly, Schimd’s gorgeous dynamic calibrations underscore the Fifth Sonata’s spooky opening movement. Overall, Oscar Shumsky’s 1982 recording remains in a class by itself for its unassailable authority and interpretive finesse, despite Nimbus’ murky sonics. Arte Nova’s excellent sound, however, makes Benjamin Schimd’s interesting, if sometimes scattered interpretations all the more enticing at budget price.
