Bach: Solo Violin Sonatas & Partitas
Like any member of a great chamber music ensemble, violinist Eugene Drucker of the Emerson String Quartet is a splendid musician. It's scarcely a surprise, then, that his performances of Bach's great music for solo violin are invested with wisdom, authority, and interesting details. But this is repertory in which there is a good deal of competition. More than a dozen recorded interpretations in the current catalog give as much musical satisfaction and present the Unaccompanied Sonatas and Partitas with considerably more grace and smoothness. Somewhat effortful performances of the famous Chaconne from the D Minor Partita, such as Drucker's, can remind the listener that this music should sound monumental, never facile. What is less attractive about these readings, however, are the slightly hard edge of Drucker's tone, a few moments of insecurity in intonation, and an equally small number of instances in which grace or power is wanting. These interpretations are for listeners for whom the insights of a first-class intellect mean more than the flawless execution of a superlative technique.--Stephen Wigler