Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin
Sonata No.1 in G minor BWV 1001
Partita No.1 in B minor BWV 1002
Sonata No.2 in A minor BWV 1003
Partita No.2 in D minor BWV 1004
Sonata No.3 in C major BWV 1005
Partita No.3 in E major BWV 1006
Bojan Čičić (violin)
rec. 2021, Crichton Collegiate Church, Midlothian, UK
Delphian DCD34300 [2 CDs: 146]
Whilst Croatian violinist Bojan Čičić is hardly a household name, his role as leader of the Academy of Ancient Music means that many listeners such as myself have been listening to his playing unawares. As a Professor of Baroque Violin at the Royal College of Music, he has more than sufficient academic credentials to have something to say about the Bach solo violin repertoire.
There seems no sign of the flood of lockdown solo violin Bach abating but this present recording is an example of a serious and seriously talented musician making good use of the enforced down time of the Pandemic. Inspired by the recording provided by Delphian for guitarist Sean Shibe’s Bach disc, Čičić set off on a wintry pilgrimage to the 15th century Crichton Collegiate Church in Scotland. The press release is at pains to point out that, unlike prominent members of the UK government, he only travelled when lockdown rules allowed it. It was well worth it as this is near ideal sound quality for these pieces: resonant but not so much as to blur the passage work but sharp enough to ensure that the music doesn’t lose its edge.
If I were to try to sum up Čičić’s performances in one word that word would be ‘wise’. ‘Unhurried’ might run it a close second though the two are intimately related. It isn’t just a matter of speed – Čičić can move when he needs to – it is more a case of him giving each movement the time and space it needs to fully blossom. A typical example is the Fuga of the C major sonata. It is very relaxed in both mood and tempo but as I listened I was persuaded that Čičić had got to the heart of the character of the movement. This is a warm Bach with whom it would have been agreeable to share a cup of coffee rather than a forbidding grandee. The result is a conception of all six works rich in variety and personality – tragic when needs be but also personable and even witty – not a quality normally associated with these masterpieces in the hands of overly earnest young men and women.
The most significant downside of this relaxed attitude is that the fugues of the two minor key sonatas are a bit of a slog, certainly next to Podger’s glittering dance through them. There’s bags of detail but the overall momentum is missing.
Where Čičić is particularly strong is in his capacity to ‘orchestrate’ the music. A case in point is his show stopping version of the mighty Chaconne from the D minor Partita. In his hands it almost becomes a kind of trio sonata with the continuo clearly delineated and the various voices in constant conversation with one another. It adds an extra dimension to the idea of this movement as a kind of working through of Bach’s grief at the loss of his first wife. Who is he in dialogue with here? God? His wife? Or his grieving self? Perhaps none of the above but the effect is to render a new dimension to very familiar music. This ear for the wider context of the music enlivens the whole set. As with David Watkin’s near definitive version of the Bach cello suites there is a real sense of a musician who has played a lot more of Bach’s music than that for solo violin. What this contributes is a sense of Čičić as an ensemble player.
In his dedication of this recording to his old teacher, who passed away during its recording, Čičić imagines that teacher listening to this recording and commenting: “Mmm shows potential now once more with the metronome”. Listening to these performances, it is hard not to feel that his teacher might have had a point as they are very free rhythmically. How you react to his loose, almost improvisatory way with rubato will probably influence how you feel about these accounts next to more strict adherence to the dance rhythms. Personally, I always found his choices made musical sense and it was only in direct comparison to other recordings – I used as my benchmark for historically informed recordings Rachel Podger’s peerless accounts – that Čičić’s flexibility becomes at all problematic. Listened to on its own it was pretty unobtrusive. I enjoyed the sense of risk and spontaneity it brought to proceedings.
One small curiosity- Čičić puts the three partitas together on one disc and the three sonatas on the other. Surprisingly, I found this a highly effective way of programming the works. It means for example that Čičić’s joyous way with the opening of the E major partita immediately follows the end of the Chaconne- the effect is dramatic and inspirational.
As I’m sure is clear by now I got a lot of enjoyment from this set. It isn’t going to shake my allegiance to Podger in terms of top recommendation for a historically informed performance let alone that to my personal favourite, the towering Nathan Milstein in either of his recordings of the complete set. But it would be perverse to limit oneself to just two views of these violin Himalayas and Čičić is a wise and nimble mountain guide. I would set this set alongside my favourites amongst the profusion of lockdown solo Bach tapings, James Ehnes and the latest recording of these pieces by the curiously overlooked David Grimal on La Dolce Volta.
The final word ought to go to Čičić whose account of the mind bending Chaconne is as rich, subtle and downright exciting as any and worth the price of this set on its own.
David McDade
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Previous review: Stephen Greenbank (October 2023)
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