LEONIDAS KAVAKOS / ILYA GRINGOLTS / ENSEMBLE APOLLON

Bach’s Violin Concertos: a repertoire that « transports us to the place where every human soul would like to be », according to Leonidas Kavakos himself. In his latest recording for Sony Classical, the Greek master develops a danceable, light-hearted vision of this important repertoire, which has yet to be fully recognised for its true worth, and stays well away from unwelcome pathos. Such is the case in the slow movement of the Concerto in A Minor, where Kavakos captures the profound humanity of these short phrases, declaimed like happy sighs. In the Concerto in D Minor, it is a more virtuosic Bach who expresses himself, with his many arabesques whose design Kavakos transcribes without detours, simply underlining here and there the misplaced accents that give this score its salt. In the Concerto in E Major, the Apollon Ensemble’s phrasing underlines the extremely bouncy articulations of the first movement, giving it a spring-like character full of youthful vigor. The Concerto in G Minor, on the other hand, is conceived by Kavakos with a more supple, singing legato, reminding us of what this repertoire owes to the Italian violin school, and its already consummate relationship with lyrical art. The Double Concerto, with Ilya Gringolts, owes so much to dance that Balanchine turned it into a ballet in the 1940s. There is no doubt that Kavakos and Gringolts, eminent bow partners, will be able to explore its subtle melodic surges.