Anne Akiko Meyers, Violin. English Chamber Orchestra

Bach, JS. Violin Concertos (et al.) / Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Label, eOne

Larry K.
Reviewed: 2012-02-29

AIR: THE BACH ALBUM / ANNE AKIKO MEYERS (with the English Chamber Orchestra, Steven Mercurio, conductor)
eOne, 2012

JS Bach played the 1st and 2nd violin concertos with friends throughout his life. The concerto for two violins is one of his most famous works and contains lovely fugues and much counterpoint. Violinist Meyers performs both the 1st and 2nd parts of the Concerto for 2 Violins on two Stradivarius violins, one from 1697 (with a “golden purity of tone”) and the second from 1730 (“with a darker timbre”). She began performing at age 11, won the Avery Fisher Career Grant, concertizes with NY Phil, LA Phil, and has premiered works of many composers (Wynton Marsalis; Messiaen; et al). Mercurio is an arranger for singers Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo and Sting. In the Ave Maria, Gounod superimposed a second melody on Bach’s Prelude No. 1 in C Maj from The Well Tempered Clavier.

1. (5:13) Bach, JS: Air, from Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068. Beautiful, sublime. Inspires, gliding by at a noble walking pace.
2. (3:35) Bach: Violin Concerto No. 1, A Min., BWV 1041, Allegro. A sprightly, beseeching, querying violin melody.
3. (6:21) Bach: Violin Concerto No. 1, A Min., BWV 1041, Adagio. A melody for walking down a cathedral isle illuminated by stained glass windows.
4. (3:28) Bach: Violin Concerto No. 1, A Min., BWV 1041, Allegro assai. Off for a country romp.
5. (7:35) Bach: Violin Concerto No. 2, E Maj., BWV 1042, Allegro. Formal introduction to the royal court’s pomp.
6. (6:42) Bach: Violin Concerto No. 2, E Maj., BWV 1042, Adagio. Death of one who was dearly beloved.
7. (2:44) Bach: Violin Concerto No. 2, E Maj., BWV 1042, Allegro assai. Celebrating newfound romance.
8. (3:18) Bach: Largo, from Harpsichord Concerto, F Min., BWV 1056. Sitting in contemplation by a serene pool in a forest glade.
9. (3:38) Bach: Concerto for 2 violins, D Min., BWV 1043, Vivace. Spirited conversation in an upscale tavern.
10. (6:16) Bach: Concerto for 2 violins, D Min., BWV 1043, Largo. Ladies, most gracefully attired in silks, enter the ballroom with formal steps.
11. (4:39) Bach: Concerto for 2 violins, D Min., BWV 1043, Allegro. Political intrigue is strenuously debated in a gilded library.
12. (4:05) Bach/Gounod: Ave Maria. Prayerful, singing melody over arpeggiated harmonies.