"Admittedly, this is a great recording and one that I own and love. But alas, it was knocked off the pedastal where I had placed it when I obtained the Philips CD featuring Arthur Grumiaux (Philips 420700). I would encourage lovers of this music to give a listen to Grumiaux. I found his interpretations to have the best rhythmic, melodic and just plain musical sensibilities of any that I've heard. Technique is invisible; it's the music that comes through with transparent clarity, strength and sensitivity. And the Philips transfers are outstanding. Own both Grumiaux and Perlman, et al, if you dare, and throw Pinnock/Standage in for good measure!"
Tear-squeezing
B. Brown | Jerusalem Israel | 01/30/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Hey, is this Bach? Perlman and Zuckerman play Bach as if it were some Gypsy music, or worse: a Hollywood movie. The violins are weeping, super-romantic, tear-squeezing. Perlman did the same with Mozart's violin concertos, but there he was a little more moderate, and the performance is fairly convincing. But in Bach??? - I ran away back to Grumiaux.
If the rating was only about the solists' interpretation, I would have rated it lower. But the orchestra is alright, and, which is more: Both perlman and Zuckerman have a very good sound."
The greatest recording of these concertos
Alejandra Vernon | 01/22/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was a kid when I first heard my dad play this lp and was immediately blown away. No other recordings come close to this one. This should definitely be a staple in any classical music collection."
Violin masterpieces
Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 11/25/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As one would expect from these 3 fantastic musicians, these are robust, masculine performances of these glorious pieces...music that's so incredibly melodic, and yet precise and structured...inspired compositions that can even have a healing effect, helping to clear one's mind and organize one's thoughts.Along with the 2 violin concertos in A minor and E, and the fabulous contrapuntal magic of the "double" concerto, there's the G minor BWV 1050, which Bach also arranged as the 5th clavier concerto in F minor, and is an interesting comparison to the violin version. There's a sublime and stunningly brilliant recording of Glenn Gould on piano available that's definitely worth a listen.Recorded in '72 and '75 (as one can tell from the very '70's haircuts on the cover photo...these guys had hair !), the sound has a slight fuzz to it...but the musicianship is superb, and it's a much-played CD in my collection."