Patrick Bismuth, Ciaccona from Bach's 2nd Partita for solo violin BWV 1004

[chet31BP]

Maybe Michealmartind could suggest a better version?

[bjl150ref]

A truly unique and very beautiful interpretation that stands out from many other recordings of this piece! An inspirational performance!

[jdzzdj]

sure...to play that way you don't need discipline...yesss...thanks a lot for that illumination... ;)

[PeriodinstrumentfaN]

@michaelmartind

Bismuth is daring and bold... worth my time than those string scrapers with modern bows... ^_^

[Stehnz]

@michaelmartind you are an ignorant, and you're also an idiot

[michaelmartind]

As a matter of fact, I'm a professional baroque violinist. It's persons like you, Stehnz, who lower the moral and intellectual level of internet message boards. I did not attack Mr. Bismuth personally, I only criticized his playing of this piece, so I see no reason why you see fit to attack my intelligence.

If you'd like I'd be happy to give my (I hope, reasonably informed ) opnion of what I don't like about the interpretation.

[Stehnz]

maybe I was a little harsh, I thought you were anti-baroque

[PeriodinstrumentfaN]

... baroque violinists are "rebels" in their own right... maybe Monsieur Bismuth's ...at another level... rebelling against the convention of "beautiful playing" ?

i'd like to hear ur opinion as a professional baroque violinist ^_^

[PeriodinstrumentfaN]

5/5 and favorited !!! :D

[michaelmartind]

Maybe I was a bit harsh too in calling the playing tasteless. I can admire the slashing way Bismuth opens the piece, like a sword fight. But he sticks to this one character through the whole piece, so that it becomes tiresome. One wants some contrast of affect and dynamic. He also seems so intent on his rhetorical effects that both tone and intonation suffer. I would question his use of bowstrokes with a steep crescendo, which dont seem to belong to the vocabulary of the baroque bow.

[michaelmartind]

Finally, I wonder where he got the idea of doing notes inegales within a slur.

[PeriodinstrumentfaN]

i believe you. i have no training what so ever in early music practices ... i also don't have a knowledge of the original or modern version of the score.

i only know about 'notes inesgales' in French Baroque music... i've never heard of it mentioned in others.

i've seen a video here on yt of Vengerov playing on a violin in baroque setup ... i recall similar comments about him using bowings that weren't known / done in Bach's time. :)

Happy weekend !!! ^_^

[michaelmartind]

I don't think it takes any special training to tell that this rendition feels "excessive" in some ways. But to each his own!

[BWV2000]

its a great interpretation, a master of the Baroque Violin!!!!!!!!!!!!