Menuhin: Bach's A Minor Violin Concerto



I freely admit that my classical knowledge doesn't go much deeper than the really well-known pieces, among which Bach's A Minor Violin Concerto is surely counted. But that doesn't make it any less powerful, right? I always prefer the slow movements in classical music. It helps me to really get it. So here I will post the Andante second movement, performed by the master Yehudi Menuhin. The insistent pattern of the lower strings is pure Bach, communicating great, if restrained, passion; and these patterns are moved forward by the rich sustained tones in the higher strings. Menuhin channels the mystic ideal of melody.

UPDATE: 6-10: Ever since I wrote this, I've been bothered a bit by my argument. The truth is that both string lines convey restrained urgency -- one through ostinato, the other through swelling long tones -- and that each helps the other to move forward. Of course! The interdependence is the whole point.

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