If you have yet to acquire a set of these important Bach works for violin and harpsichord you’re faced with a somewhat bewildering array of choices–and happily, many of them are excellent. The problem will be choosing just one from the many fine versions, and this respectfully unadorned, impeccably played, carefully balanced production adds one more to the list. Of course you could just pick one of the reference versions (or this one) and be quite happy–or, you could make the rewarding effort of doing a bit of research, beginning with a number of reviews already posted here. Rather than use this space to rehash and try to condense what’s been written by me and other Classicstoday.com critics, you’ll find detailed discussion of the works and of specific recommended performances by going to Search Reviews and typing the following review numbers in the box: Q1130; Q4838; Q4882; Q2405. Now you’re equipped to make a decision as to whether this new issue may be the one for you.
While there’s no question as to the authority and technical competence of Christine Busch’s playing, her sound is comparatively dry, with a pleasingly penetrating edge that resonates cooly in the lower registers and rings with a sharply honed tang in the upper regions. There’s not a lot of vibrato, but there’s sufficient dynamic shading and shaping of phrases, and the interaction between the two players is as successful as any in addressing the difficult issues of balance between instruments and among the three voices. Busch articulates with wonderful clarity, conserves her ornaments, and seems to be continually focused on just playing the music, keeping reasonable tempos in the fast movements and allowing Bach’s gorgeous slow-movement melodies to speak for themselves. Kay Johannsen’s Ruckers-model harpsichord has just the right amount of heft to give due support in the bass line while presenting a sparkling, vibrant tone across the rest of the keyboard. The acoustic is suitably resonant to complement the character of the instruments and accommodate the needs of the music–but some listeners will prefer more warmth than we get here. The choice is yours–but you won’t really go wrong with this one.
