Morimur

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Music reviews of Morimur

Music Review: The Mystery, Mastery and Majesty of Bach
Rating: 5 Stars

So, how does it work? Well, undeniably it works very well and the results are sublime. The versions where the choir elements are overlaid on the instrumental pieces from the Partita are very powerful, very complex arrangements. It is clear that the thesis is more than adequately supported by the results.

It is instructive to remember that the music we have had handed down from Bach has gone through a tortuous process lasting over 250 years. Some of this music did not survive the long period of Bach's obscurity which lasted from his death in 1750 up to around 1900. That's 150 years in an age before the photocopier when printing was an expensive and low volume activity. Much of Bach's works are simply lost to us; a rather depressing thought. Bach frequently transcribed and rearranged his compositions from one instrument or group of instruments to another and it is quite likely that there were other settings of elements of the Partita. The central thesis behind this disc is therefore quite plausible and the significance of the Chaconne, being as it is connected to the death of his first wife, would lead it to being used in other instrumentations.

However, even without this new thesis linking the Choral works to the Partita this music is absolultely indispensable. The high point of the partita, "the" Chaconne, as it's generally called, is a glorious, emotional journey through Bach's creative mind at a time when he had just lost his first wife. This is music of the deepest most heart-felt beauty mixed with anguish. Every bar, every note of the Chaconne means something and adds something to this work. Can anyone who has heard it deny that the Chaconne is one of the greatest examples of musical art?

It is known that Bach was a gifted violinist and the level of understanding of the instrument that he brings to the solo violin composition is amazing. Who but Bach could have created such a deep, multi-level musical experience from what is effectively a single-toned instrument?

Using a baroque feel throughout, including a baroque violin this release endeavours to recreate the music as it would have been realised in Bach's day. I fully support this approach as we should always give Bach and his musicians the credit of putting forward his music in the best way; was he not, after all, the outstanding musical genius of his time or, as some would argue, of all time.

Buy this disc, lose yourself in the music and be in awe of the great master of the Baroque. His music transcends the centuries and reaches out to us in all its beauty and perfection.

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