Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

Featuring

Julia Fischer
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Performer Biography

Julia Fischer, the violinist on this recording, began playing Bach daily on her violin at age nine and considers his works the foundation for all musicians.

Critical Reception

For a long time, Bach's solo violin works were considered mere exercises, with Robert Schumann even adding piano accompaniment to make them more palatable to audiences.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin embody his artistic maxim: "Everything must be possible," pushing the boundaries of what the musical material and instrument could achieve.

Compositional Technique

The collection of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, titled 'Sei solo a violino senza basso accompagnato', features a symmetrical key plan, indicating a superior overall design.

Compositional Technique

Bach utilizes the violin's ability to play multiple notes simultaneously, especially in the fugues and the celebrated Chaconne, which is his only large chamber-music variation movement.

Compositional Technique

In these works, Bach combines two major Baroque chamber music forms: the sonatas follow the church sonata (Sonata da chiesa) structure, while the partitas are based on traditional dance sequences.

Critical Reception

The Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin gained recognition as profound chamber music, rather than just pedagogical pieces, after the solo performances of violinist Joseph Joachim in the 1890s.