Rachel Podger / Brecon Baroque J.S. BACH The Art of Fugue

THE ART OF FUGUE

Rachel Podger / Brecon Baroque VIVALDI Le Quattro Stagioni

LE QUATTRO STAGIONI

30 CHANNEL CLASSICS - GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICES

30 CHANNEL CLASSICS - GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICES

Rachel Podger J.S. BACH Cello Suites

(…) Since, I have spent a fair bit of time coaching cellists, both modern and baroque alike, and found myself playing along to demonstrate various points I gradually could feel these pieces joining the violin partitas and sonatas as another kind of ‘daily bread’; I started catching myself playing some of the movements I particularly loved while warming up, and realising that it was actually possible to play them on the violin, and to find a special expressive vocabulary at the higher pitch.
How could one possibly justify it, especially with works that have peppered the recording catalogue with some of the most iconic and adored string performances of all time, the Casals, Fourniers, Torteliers or Starkers? But what I was doing also seemed very much in keeping with Bach’s own habit of recycling his compositions for different instruments and different uses. The examples are endless but I immediately think of the concertos appearing as sinfonias in cantatas, or concertos for violins turned into harpsichord concertos.
The more I reflect, the less I feel the need to be defensive because Bach did far more outrageous things! Think of the Prelude of the E major Partita for violin turned into a full orchestral cantata movement with trumpets and drums… – Rachel Podger (excerpt from liner notes)

Rachel Podger HEINRICH IGNAZ FRANZ VON BIBER Rosary Sonatas

It is important to judge every disc on its individual merits. That can sometimes be difficult with the recordings of violinist Rachel Podger, who tends to record a disc and receive immediate praise without exception. But is easy with her new recording of Biber’s Rosary, or 'Mystery', Sonatas. 

She may have recorded Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, one of the pinnacles of solo violin repertoire, over 20 years ago, but to wait to record this Biber was a sensible decision. What has come out of that wait is a performance of such variety, insight and instinctive musicianship that it could, and should, define her talents as a performer.

The 'scordatura' (re-tuning) of certain strings on the violin to create different – and often challenging – harmonies, is a particular singularity of these pieces, but is only one element of the array of techniques on which Podger draws. The transformation of sound between the sonatas entitled 'Crucifixion' and 'Resurrection', for instance, makes it difficult to believe she is playing the same instrument from sonata to sonata.  That comes as much from the beauty of her playing, as well as that of the radiantly contrasting continuo parts, as the leg-up Biber gives the performer with the different colours naturally provided by the various tunings.

In the end, though, if this disc shows anything, it is that however established they are, the greatest performers are those that still have the power to surprise and gladden, whatever you previously thought you knew of them. (Caroline Gil)

Trevor Pinnock / Rachel Podger J.S. BACH The Complete Sonatas for Violin and Obbligato Harpsichord

This recording has it all: some of the most marvelous music ever written for the violin; beautiful, lively sound-take; refreshingly intimate program notes; but more important than any of that, two truly first-class performers. The double CD is a real treasure. Rachel Podger is that rare find, a violinist with the sweetest sound, a flawless intonation, technique so good that it just disappears in the background, a musical instinct that is always awake, and a sense of style that permeates every musical gesture. She can convey exuberant joy or thoughtful sadness, and it all sounds round and luscious and exciting. The first movement of BWV 1023, for example, with its startling beginning, full of cumulative tension leading to a lyrical reflection, is a feat of simultaneous intellectual understanding and concentrated emotion.
Trevor Pinnock proves here that he deserves the high reputation he enjoys. His accompaniment is always sensible and sensitive, providing a solid ground for Podger's imaginative castle-building. Jonathan Manson has the almost impossible task of adding to this duo. He not only survives but actually contributes to the final result, with some very refined and unobtrusive gamba-playing. This is chamber music at is best. The dynamic contrasts are surprisingly varied, and these performances are the greatest advocates not only for period instruments but also for a whole trend in performance, which calls for poignant leanings on harmonically important notes, freedom within a chosen tempo, carefully suspenseful cadences, more frequent rhythmic inflections, and ornamentation that sounds improvised. All of this is done with good taste and wisdom, and the result is that the music sounds moving where it should, energetic where it demands it, without the slightest hint of mustiness or restraint. If you are only going to buy one recording this year, this might be the place to spend your money. (Laura Ronai, FANFARE 5/2001)

Rachel Podger GUARDIAN ANGEL Works by BIBER, BACH, TARTINI, PISENDEL

The music on this recording demonstrates how composers in Germany, Italy, Austria and England responded to the challenges of writing for violin senza basso. Music for violin senza basso had a distinguished history before Bach and was widely cultivated by his contemporaries.

Violinistic virtuosity was extraordinarily experimental in the late seventeenth century, with novelties in the tuning of the strings (scordaura), bowing techniques, chordal playing and contrapuntal textures (with the development of sophisticated double-, triple- and quadruple-stopping techniques) and playing in high positions. This disc of solo violin music is a real mixture of some of Rachel's favourite pieces.

Rachel Podger is one of the most creative talents to emerge in the field of period performance. Over the last two decades she has established herself as a leading interpreter of the music of the Baroque and Classical periods. After beginnings with The Palladian Ensemble and Florilegium, she was leader of The English Concert from 1997 to 2002 and in 2004 began a guest directorship with The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with whom she appeared in a televised BBC Prom in 2007. As a guest director and soloist she has collaborated with numerous orchestras including Arte dei Suonatori (Poland), Musica Angelica and Santa Fe Pro Musica (USA), The Academy of Ancient Music, The European Union Baroque Orchestra, Holland Baroque Society and the Handel and Haydn Society (USA).

Rachel directs her own ensemble, Brecon Baroque and is Artistic Director of her own festival: the Brecon Baroque Festival. Rachel is an honorary member of both the Royal Academy of Music (where she holds the Michaela Comberti Chair for Baroque Violin) and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (where she holds the Jane Hodge Foundation International Chair in Baroque Violin) and teaches at institutions throughout the world. (Gramophone Magazine: Editor's Choice - November 2013)