Still young, intellectually agile and angelically gifted, the American violinist Hilary Hahn can be trusted to avoid the immediately obvious. Six CDs into her Deutsche Grammophon contract and she hasn’t turned to the Beethoven concerto. Elgar, yes; Schoenberg, yes; Mozart and Bach; even the dusty relic Spohr.
And now more Bach, but not in concerto form. This is a disc of mostly sacred cantata movements, featuring the violin as a solo instrumental colour intertwined with soprano or bass vocal lines. Bach’s combination of violin and voice, Hahn says, first smote her with its special magic when she was 5. Twenty-five years later, here is her CD of homage, recorded with the soprano Christine Sch?fer, the wayward baritone Matthias Goerne and the staunch Munich Chamber Orchestra, directed by Alexander Liebreich.
The concept is appealing, and there are considerable rewards for following Hahn’s violin through cantatas, the B Minor Mass and the St Matthew Passion. Her prancing rhythmic inflections, golden yellow tones and avoidance of the fussily decorative bring delight in every one of the 12 tracks.
There are consequences, though. Given the context, the ear naturally seeks out Hahn’s bejewelled line, not always to the total benefit of the item at hand. Take the opening aria from the St Matthew Passion, Gebt mir meinen Jesum wieder! The violin gleams high like a thread of gold; by comparison, Goerne’s soft-grained bass suggests a raincloud, rumbling vaguely.
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Schafer’s bright soprano generally proves an easier companion for Hahn’s violin. The pair are especially compelling in an aria of joyful contentment from BWV 204, the voice garlanded with Hahn’s virtuoso pirouettes.
I often wonder, with concept albums, how many times a purchaser would slot the CD into the machine after the novelty fades. Bach’s genius and Hahn’s artistry should provide lasting encouragement.