Listeners looking for an exercise in virtuosity may find
Janine Jansen's 2007
Bach recording a disappointment; the serious nature of the program precludes showboating. But listeners hoping that
Jansen had more musical individuality to offer than was revealed in her early recordings of standard violin showpieces may find this recording a wonderful surprise.
In the Inventions,
Jansen is an equal partner with violist
Maxim Rysanov and cellist
Torleif Thedéen in performances of wit, feeling, and subtle grace. In the Partita and especially its excruciatingly ecstatic Chaconne,
Jansen delivers consummate musicality and surpassing emotional honesty. Decca's sound is close and evocative.