Bach: Violin Concertos in A Minor & E Major etc.

Only two of Bach’s solo violin concertos have come down to us—in A Minor and E Major; the rest are sadly lost. Well, not quite. In the 1730s, Bach arranged some of his earlier violin concertos for harpsichord, and it’s in this form that they still exist. Three have been reconstructed to their hypothetical original forms and are included here: Arcangelo makes an especially powerful case for the great Concerto in D Minor. Alina Ibragimova plays an Anselmo Bellosio violin made around 1775. It’s mellow and sinuously expressive rather than sparklingly bright in tone, and it encourages her to a poetic and lyrical style. The slow movements in particular benefit. The “Andante” of the Concerto in A Minor has a subtly husky solo voice, perfectly partnered by breathy orchestral sighs and a rippling lute accompaniment.