Friday 4 May 2012

Bach - Double Violin & Oboe Concerto [Zimmermann & Black/Tate-English Chamber Orchestra] 

Another version of Bach's violin Concerto's, of course this gives room for the gorgeous Double Violin & Oboe Concerto too, very much like Hilary Hahn's disc, it's one the greatest things Bach wrote, only 15 minutes long, but it's packed full of invention, Hahn gets a more upfront intimacy, a smaller group, more Baroque, it's my favourite version, but Zimmermann is also inventive in his own way, and it's good to hear another 'opinion' of the work.

Frank Peter Zimmermann is German, Born in 1965, he's now 47, he recorded this work in 1988 when he was only 23, the front cover photo is by Christian Steiner.

The disc is recorded fairly loud, you certainly get the feel that even though it's only a Chamber Orchestra, it still sounds too grandiose for this intimate Baroque music, it was the last movement that i found so superb, it has that jumpy rhythm about it, it nicely rocks between soloist and tutti, it's less than 4 minutes long, but what a punch Bach packs, 

Here's Alice Harnoncourt [Violin] and Jurg Schaeftlein [Oboe], playing the third movement on YouTube.