Concomitant with his release of the complete solo partitas and sonatas of
J.S. Bach, violinist
Richard Tognetti is also releasing this two-disc set of
Bach's Sonatas for violin and keyboard. As in the solo works,
Tognetti employs the use of a 1759 Guadagnini violin equipped with gut strings. While the solo album specifically tells listeners that the instrument is tuned to a period appropriate a' = 415, this collection makes no mention of the tuning used.
Tognetti's playing, again, is very refined; intonation is pristine and attention to detail in ornamentation is exceptionally high. Overall sound quality, though, is still generally bright, approaching shrill in the upper registers of the instrument, certainly not what one would expect from an instrument sporting gut strings. Unlike other masterful performances of these sonatas (most notably, the recording made by
Giuliano Carmignola) that use only the harpsichord,
Tognetti makes the decision to incorporate harpsichord, organ, viola da gamba, and cello in various configurations. The switch between harpsichord and organ within a given sonata is peculiar and seems to take away from the continuity of the work. Still, collectors of multiple versions of these sonatas may welcome the mildly unorthodox change of pace.