J.S. Bach: Partitas for Violin (2011)

Young violinist Midori Seiler, sure enough half Japanese and half German, offers a very strong trio of Bach solo-violin partitas here, managing to stand out from among the dozens of others on the market. In the interview-format booklet (given in German and English), Seiler lauds the "subjectivity" of Bach's solo violin music, opining that in them "one has many liberties, great scope." That may or may not be true, but Seiler certainly adopts the approach as her own, and in so doing occupies a niche that hasn't been very ... Read More

Young violinist Midori Seiler, sure enough half Japanese and half German, offers a very strong trio of Bach solo-violin partitas here, managing to stand out from among the dozens of others on the market. In the interview-format booklet (given in German and English), Seiler lauds the "subjectivity" of Bach's solo violin music, opining that in them "one has many liberties, great scope." That may or may not be true, but Seiler certainly adopts the approach as her own, and in so doing occupies a niche that hasn't been very crowded: performance of the partitas on a Baroque violin, with period bow and gut strings, but with a Romantic freedom of interpretation. Sample the sharp contrasts in textures between movements, the slashing attacks in the faster dances, and the free treatment of tempo throughout. It's not over the edge, but definitely enough to keep the focus on the performer. Seiler's steely tone, spot-on intonationally in a situation where little vibrato is possible or desirable, is among her... Read Less