The Logics

I previously wrote of Hilary Hahn http://blog.thelogics.org/?p=13, and though I may still hold the opinion that no known album of Bach’s Concertos is of a higher quality, today I believe that there exists a performance of similar quality, and I cannot yet choose which is the superior performance.

Julia Fischer’s http://www.juliafischer.com performance of the Bach Concertos athttp://www.lala.com/album/576742227525815507/#album/432627039258753802 are, of course, a different voice than Hahn’s, but one that is no less pleasing. While listening to Fischer I questioned myself of why I felt so pleased with the performance, and though Fischer’s skill was sensed to be on a leash, possibly restricted to the conductor’s choice of style, I continued noticing the numerous qualities of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields orchestra and how well Fischer and the orchestra complimented the other, but there stood another musical voice as well, one that created an additional dimension to the already superior work.

Though I never acquired a taste for the oboe, perhaps for the very first time I found an enjoyment in hearing an oboe accompany violin. Andrey Rubtsov is the oboist, and upon further investigation I discovered that Rubtsov is one of Russia’s leading musicians.http://andreyrubtsov.com/index-eng.html Rubtsov’s performance is indeed worthy of an energetic applause.

Julia Fischer’s Bach Concertos is, in my interpretation, a mature rendition of Bach, a performance of experience, skill, superior conducting, and a sense of knowing classical quality. If Hahn’s work were the energetic waving of a crimson flag, Fischer’s work would be the flowing breadths and depths of burgundies.

It is remarkable, and very satisfying, that though the older artists are disappearing, there does exist a new generation of artists, and their skill is quite remarkably good, as good or better than all who came before.

Additional information is available at Decca Classics:http://www.deccaclassics.com/features/juliafischer/index.htm