J.S. Bach: The Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo

Disc 1
1	Sonata for solo violin No
2	Sonata for solo violin No
3	Sonata for solo violin No
4	Sonata for solo violin No
5	Partita for solo violin N
6	Partita for solo violin N
7	Partita for solo violin N
8	Partita for solo violin N
9	Partita for solo violin N
10	Partita for solo violin N
11	Partita for solo violin N
12	Partita for solo violin N
13	Sonata for solo violin No
14	Sonata for solo violin No
15	Sonata for solo violin No
16	Sonata for solo violin No
Disc 2
1	Partita for solo violin N
2	Partita for solo violin N
3	Partita for solo violin N
4	Partita for solo violin N
5	Partita for solo violin N
6	Sonata for solo violin No
7	Sonata for solo violin No
8	Sonata for solo violin No
9	Sonata for solo violin No
10	Partita for solo violin N
11	Partita for solo violin N
12	Partita for solo violin N
13	Partita for solo violin N
14	Partita for solo violin N
15	Partita for solo violin N
16	Partita for solo violin N
J.S. Bach: The Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo
1.	Sonata for solo violin No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001 15:29
	Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Performed by Gidon Kremer
2.	Partita for solo violin No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002 26:56
	Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Performed by Gidon Kremer
3.	Sonata for solo violin No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003 23:11
	Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Performed by Gidon Kremer
4.	Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 28:20
	Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Performed by Gidon Kremer
5.	Sonata for solo violin No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005 19:55
	Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Performed by Gidon Kremer
6.	Partita for solo violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006 17:08
	Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Performed by Gidon Kremer

Barnes & Noble

Gidon Kremer's new performances of the Sonatas and Partitas are a reminder that J. S. Bach is the most contemporary of all composers. It seldom crosses the listener's mind that this is "Baroque" music; rather, Kremer taps into its eternal freshness and modernity, as if the ink on the manuscript was not yet quite dry. This is the violinist's second recording of these works, following his first by a quarter century. In the meantime, he has pursued a remarkably adventurous career, both in new music and old -- a career that has surely left its mark on his Bach in many ways. Most of all, time seems to have made Kremer's approach more spontaneous and personal: Despite a certain austerity of mood, these are certainly not "objective" interpretations -- there's no aspiration to historical accuracy here. But neither is there the least bit of romanticized sentiment. Kremer often emphasizes the music's jagged edges and does not disguise the harshness required to attack a three- or four-note chord. He also exploits the full range of the modern violin's dynamics and tone colors, but none of this ever feels like a distortion. By refusing to prettify Bach, Kremer realizes a greater quotient of the music's expressive beauty than many higher-gloss performances have managed, especially in the most highly charged movement of the cycle, the mammoth Chaconne from the Second Partita. There are plenty of classic recordings of the complete Sonatas and Partitas -- from Milstein, Grumiaux, and Szeryng, to name a few familiar laureates -- to document 20th-century perspectives. It was a foregone conclusion that Bach would cross over into the new millennium, and Kremer, bold and unique as ever, deserves credit for making it happen. Scott Paulin

All Music Guide

Never one to shy away from challenges, Gidon Kremer often confronts them in his recordings of new or unusual music, yet his expression is often under the cover of novelty, or shared with other players. In this 2005 recording of Bach's sonatas and partitas for violin solo, however, the challenges are all internal, as Kremer faces the music nakedly and directly, without recourse to cohorts, gimmicks, clever arrangements, or anything other than the notes on the page. This is, of course, the greatest challenge any musician faces in playing Bach's solo works, and Kremer's interaction with the music is certainly exposed, if not always to the listener's delight. Kremer's tone and expression are chimerical, unpredictable, and sometimes rawly emphasized, and it is sometimes hard to tell if he has deliberately marked out all his dynamics and bowings -- as if parsing all those running sixteenth notes into motives and cells -- or if he has merely left such decisions to the moment's inspiration and spontaneously poured himself out in wave after wave of short, hiccuping phrases and exaggerated gestures. It takes something of an analytical mind to appreciate the finely worked details and studied nuances in his performances; otherwise, listeners who like smoother interpretations will feel its bumpy ride all the way and find his playing more annoying than appealing. ECM's sound quality is topnotch. Blair Sanderson

New York Times

It is a superb account, bursting at once with piety toward the spirit of this music and sheer irreverence toward its execution. At the center is Mr. Kremer's unmistakable approach to tone production: raw, molten fortes are pulled from deep inside the strings, ghostly pianos are floated with lightning-quick bow speed. Jeremy Eichler

Gramophone

Ample food for thought. Jed Distler

Time Out New York

Let's be direct: This new two-CD set delivers the greatest classical music ever written for solo violin, as interpreted by our greatest living violinist, Gidon Kremer.... The modesty that pervades all of Kremer's recordings is in evidence here; so, too, is his brilliance. Ben Finane

Dallas Morning News

Mr. Kremer has clearly learned a lot from the early-instrument folks; he knows how to make these lines speak, as well as dance. But, unlike most of the baroque specialists, he's playing the pieces' modern reputation as something epic, even spiritual. The famous Chaconne of the Partita No. 2 alternates between breathtaking and hair-raising. Lawson Taitte