Christophe Rousset, Jaap Schrödeer, Christopher Hogwood - J.S. Bach: Harpsichord Concertos, Violin Concerto (1995)

Christophe Rousset's 1993 recordings of Bach's Harpsichord Concertos in E major, BWV 1053; A major, BWV 1055; and G minor, BWV 1058 are light, agile, fluent, and expressive, and fans of great harpsichord playing should make a point of hearing them. However, the seemingly capricious inclusion of Jaap Schröder's 1981 recording of Bach's A minor Violin Concerto, BWV 1041, as a filler is what really makes this release special. Like the performances of the E major Violin Concerto and the D minor (BWV 1042 and 1043) included on the initial L'Oiseau-Lyre LP release and on the 1998 Decca CD re-release, they are, in a word, sublime. Bach's violin concertos, of course, are not all that difficult to play, and Schröder, to be frank, was not all that virtuosic a player. But when it comes to heart and soul, there were no violinists in the early instrument movement who could touch him. As fine as Rousset's performances of harpsichord concertos are musically, the depths of humanity and flights of spirituality in Schröder's performances of the violin concerto are far beyond even his nimble fingers and active intellect. In both recordings, the accompaniment is provided by the Academy of Ancient Music under the direction of Christopher Hogwood, and though the 1993 digital sound is bigger than the 1981 digital sound, in both cases the sound as well as the performances are clean but dry and crisp.