"I cannot overstate my enthusiasm for this disc. All of the material is nice, but the three violin concerti are the most beautiful. The strong emotion does not inhibit these pieces, which are fully Baroque to the core.May I draw your attention especially to the final movement of the E-major concerto and to the sublime slow movement of the D-minor double concerto. But please listen to this recording from start to finish, first!For the most part, Naxos discs have proved to be pleasant surprises to my ears and "music" to my near-empty wallet... I own five Naxos discs, and this one is definitely my favorite."
An excellent choice!
rockerford | 03/16/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is an excellent CD, anyone who loves Bach will surely want to add this disc to their collection. The violin playing is exceptional. Don't overlook this disc because of the bargain price."
An Obsession
doors | San Francisco | 02/06/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I am literally obsessed with each piece in this CD; not only by Bach, she (Takako) plays it amazingly "intimate". It's been some time but I listen to it when I go to sleep, during my sleep, when I wake up, when I drive, when I walk... especially the 1042 Adagio... I have listened more than 20 different violinists who performed the same concerto. Of course all of them are uniqe and worth listening. However, no one could convey her emotions like she does. I was in love with her playing, then I searched her. Too bad she is married. But the love will be there whenever I listen to her. Get this CD. If you made it so far, searched for these breathtaking concerti, and read these reviews, that means you must be at least a little bit into Bach, or Violin, or Takako. You can't end up here by mistake. Get this CD, and thank to yourself later."
Every bit as good if not better than all the others
Peter Chordas | Portland, OR USA | 02/24/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It becomes frustrating when you wish to buy some music that you are familiar with, go out and spend $15-20, only to find out you aren't that fond of that rendition or it's not as good as the one you heard which is either no longer in print or you don't know who it was by. That was my situation with the Double Concerto in D minor. I had heard this growing up and had sort of forgot about it until it resurfaced when the slow movement was used in the film, "Children of a Lesser God."
I love the Perlman/Zuckerman rendition but some of the tempi are a little different and not as good as the one stuck in my head from childhood. I decided I would keep searching and found this Naxos bargain disc. I had never heard of Takako Nishizaki before and wasn't expecting much. But oh what a surprise! The largo still doesn't quite have the right tempo to my liking so I gave it a 4 star. But overall, this CD is a gem. The violin playing is superb and the orchestra provides a warm backing led by Oliver Dohnanyl. You can do far worse paying a lot more and this will familiarize you to some very fine baroque Bach music!"
Quality product for cheap
Ronald Richter | Sheridan, Wy | 05/16/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I just started seriously building up my classical collection and I own several other Naxos discs and must say that this is the best of them. While some of my other Naxos cd's lack, in particular one I have that has Beethoven's 2nd and 5th Symphonies, as the renditions don't hold a candle to my Karajan Beethoven cycle from '63, this Bach disc is perfectly performed and the sound quality is top notch. While it may not be right up there with some of the older more expensive versions, for the money you can't go wrong with this disc. If you want a fresh take on Bach's violin concerto's at an affordable price, you need not look no further."