Pablo Valetti, Céline Frisch - J.S. Bach - Sei Suonate a Cembalo certato e Violino solo (2003)

Another superlative Alpha production! Really! From the beautiful multiple Gainsborough reproductions through the astute notes and the vivid sound to the stunning performances, this really is another superlative Alpha product. Violinist Pablo Valetti and harpsichordist Céline Frisch are fluent and soulful players with an empathetic sense of ensemble. In these Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord, Valetti and Frisch's warm tone, supple tempos, and expressive lines make Bach's music sound as virtuosic as ever, but more lyrical than usual. Alpha's recording is close and detailed and real, capturing the sound of the air in the room. The notes are lively and learned and entertaining. The notes on the Gainsborough on the cover are even better and even the tiny little reproductions somehow contrive to catch the effervescent beauty of his light and shape and color and texture. While the classic recordings of the Sonatas remain inviolate, Valetti and Frisch should be heard by anyone who loves recorded art.