Midori Seiler: Bach's Virtuosos

Under the direction of violin virtuoso Midori Seiler, this album presents a very lively musical portrait of the Köthener Hofkapelle, now revived as Köthener BachCollectiv. With exceptional virtuosos and composers, Bach went to the limits of what was then playable and experimented with instruments, scorings, sounds and musical forms; New reconstructions of Bach Concertos BWV 1056R & 1064R by Midori Seiler - Musical treasures and world premiere recordings by A. R. Stricker (Sonata D major), J. Spieß (Concerto E minor) and G. Linike (Suite D major)

At the heart of the Köthener Bachfesttage is the ensemble founded expressly for the festival, the Köthener BachCollektiv. This is an exceptional company of eminent musicians spanning three generations that meets in Köthen every other year and has embarked on a musical journey of discovery with works newly restored to the repertoire. At the 2022 Bachfesttage, and on this recording, new reconstructions of Bach concertos and some long forgotten works by his Köthen colleagues set the tone. The consequence, under the direction of violinists Midori Seiler and Mayumi Hirasaki, is a strikingly vivid musical portrait of the Köthen Hofkapelle, which recreates the excellent working conditions and musical opportunities available to Johann Sebastian Bach in Köthen.

Period-instrument performances of Beethoven's violin sonatas aren't too common; they pose thorny problems of balance even beyond the question of whether Beethoven wouldn't have preferred modern instruments if he could have had them. But this superbly musical set by violinist Midori Seiler, playing an Italian Baroque violin of unknown manufacture, and fortepianist Jos van Immerseel, on a copy of an entirely appropriate Viennese Walter piano, may well redefine the standard for these works.

Harmonia Mundi's Rebel: Elements – Vivaldi: Four Seasons combines two of the Baroque's biggest instrumental barnburners as performed by one of the top period instrument groups in Europe, Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin, under the leadership of concertmasters Clemens-Maria Nuszbaumer and Georg Kallweit and featuring their star attraction, violinist Midori Seiler. Like Vivaldi's often derided as over-familiar Four Seasons, Jean-Féry Rebel's 1737 ballet Les Éléments does not want for good recordings, but it is nowhere near as famous as the Vivaldi; this is the first time the two have been combined on a recording, and these pieces are quite compatible given their shared, programmatic purposes.

In fact, until these new performances by Midori Seiler and Jos van Immerseel, only the spirited, often schmaltzy renderings of K. 205 and K. 301-304 performed by Erich Höbarth and Patrick Cohen (Astrée) have ranked with the finest modern-instrument accounts.

Of all the reconstructions prompted by the 1991 Mozart jamboree, Philip Wilby’s recreation of the Violin and Piano Concerto of 1778 was the most worthwhile. Wilby skilfully completed the 120-bar fragment of the first movement and took the slow movement and finale from the unusually brilliant, ‘public’ D major Violin Sonata, K306. There are problems – not least of dates – with Wilby’s thesis that the Sonata is the ‘last resting-place’ of the projected double concerto. But the three movements certainly make a satisfying entity. Midori and Eschenbach give an immensely polished reading, phrasing with unfailing subtlety and sophistication.

A Superlative Performance from the Violin Virtuosi Midori! Truly an Extraordinary Collection! Violinist Midori is accompanied by pianist Robert McDonald for this recording of music by various composers including Shostakovich, Kreisler, Paganini, Prokofiev, and more!…