Violin Concertos Nos.1 & 2/violin Concerto Bwv1053

Viktoria Mullova’s Bach recordings for Onyx have received worldwide praise. London’s Sunday Times said her Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, “exemplify the best of old and new stylistic approaches to Bach’s masterpieces.” For this album, she once again teams up with harpsichordist Ottavio Dantone in a program that pairs the two famous solo Violin Concertos with two concertos arranged for violin. The Violin Concerto BWV1053 was arranged from the second harpsichord concerto and the Concerto for Violin & Harpsichord BWV1060 was arranged from the concerto for violin and oboe (which had previously been arranged by Bach himself from his concerto for two harpsichords). Having worked together for many years, Mullova and Dantone sought a piece they could both play with orchestra, and this brilliant arrangement is the result. Performed here with the Accademia Bizantina, it is the perfect conclusion to a masterful Bach program.