Zino Francescatti, Lucerne Festival Strings, Rudolf Baumgartner - J.S. Bach - Violin Concertos BWV 1041-1043 (1998)

Lean, lithe, and lovely, this 1972 recording of Bach's two solo violin concertos plus his double violin concerto played by French violinist Zino Francescatti will warm the hearts of those who miss straightforward, modern instrument performances of these standard repertoire works. Although of Italian extraction, Francescatti is clearly a French player: his tone is lean, clean, and direct; his technique is lithe, subtle, and strong; and his interpretations are sweet, tender, and lovely. Of course, after decades of non-vibrato, non- glissando, and non-portemento performances from period-instrument players, even lean and lithe modern instrument performances sound fairly romantic, and while Francescatti's tone might be considered only moderately sweet compared with players like Perlman and Zukerman, compared with players like Standage and Schröder he could seem overly sentimental. Plus, the accompaniment by the Lucerne Festival Strings led by Rudolf Baumgartner only makes things sweeter with a just this side of wet tone, just this side of sugary phrasing, and just the other side of cloying textures. Still, for listeners looking for a superbly played modern instrument performance of these popular pieces, this Francescatti disc will serve admirably. DG's stereo sound is perhaps a bit closer than usual, but no less clear or evocative.