Reviews | RH-024 | IVRY GITLIS | plays BACH

14 October 2022 | Stephen Greenbank | MusicWeb International | Ivry Gitlis plays Bach   

This year, 25 August to be precise, marked the centenary of the birth of Israeli violinist Ivry Gitlis (1922-2020). This latest issue from Rhine Classics commemorates that significant occasion. This is the third release from the label featuring radio broadcasts, live airings, original masters, 78s and LP recordings, splendidly restored by producer Emilio Pessina, which have significantly bolstered the artist’s discography. The added attraction of this newcomer is that it’s devoted exclusively to the composer J. S. Bach who’s music is notably absent in the previous releases. [...] The Bach Concertos are studio recordings made for Danish Radio in Copenhagen in March 1997. Gitlis, himself, directs the Louisiana Museum Art Ensemble. Those encountering Gitlis in Bach for the first time will need to acclimatise themselves to his very personal approach in terms of tonal qualities, individual articulation and on-off vibrato. The slow movements radiate warmth and are elegantly contoured, with portamenti sparing. The finales generate plentiful energy and are crisply articulated. The balance between soloist and orchestra is finely judged. Gitlis is joined by Natalia Likhopoi on 2nd violin for the Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV1043. The performance is superb, with the soloists well-matched in tone and phrasing. The exquisite slow movement is heartfelt, with each violinist lovingly caressing the phrases in an intimate dialogue. The third movement is bright and joyous. [...] Welcome is a complete discography of the violinist included in the booklet. Finally, the addition of some beautifully produced photographs adds to the allure. All told, this is a worthy tribute to a remarkable technician and distinguished interpreter.

28 September 2022 | Jean-Michel Molkhou | Les grands violonistes du XXe siècle | Gitlis plays Bach 

Ivry Gitlis, disparu à la veille de Noël 2020, aurait eu cent ans cette année. Ardent interprète du répertoire romantique, comme des grands auteurs du XXe siècle (Bartok, Hindemith, Stravinsky), il laisse en revanche peu de trace au disque dans l'oeuvre de Bach. Voilà qui rend d'autant plus précieux cet enregistrement totalement inédit des trois concertos pour violon, réalisé en 1997 à Copenhague avec un ensemble orchestral danois. Vision hautement personnelle s'il en est - à mille lieux des courants baroques - colorée d'un vibrato reconnaissable entre tous. Même si cette vision "mittle europa" ne sera pas du goût de tous, elle mérite le détour, ne serait-ce que pour la tendresse infinie dont Ivry habite le mouvement lent du concerto en la mineur, comme pour la passion qui anime la moindre note. Si la prise de son met naturellement en scène le soliste, au détriment de l'orchestre, un peu noyé au fond de la salle, Gitlis y démontre encore à 75 ans ans une autorité instrumentale, une énergie et un goût du risque qui n'échapperont à personne. Il parvient même à trouver une étonnante liberté de phrasé dans un texte pourtant millimétré, qui ne laisse d'ordinaire guère de place à l'aventure (Adagio BWV 1042). Dans le double concerto, c'est Natalia Likhopoi (future épouse de Viktor Tretyakov), qui lui donne la réplique. Fort d'un d'un ton vif et d'un enthousiasme palpable, ce duo inattendu, partout guidé par la voix d'Ivry, fonctionne. Trois pages pour violon seul, une Chaconne un rien débridée mais d'une intensité peu commune, la Fugue de la Sonate en Ut (qui en déroutera plus d'un) et la Gavotte de la Partita en Mi, captées en public à Tokyo en 1990 complètent l'album, généreusement illustré et enrichi de la discographie du violoniste que j'ai eu le plaisir de rédiger. Une facette rare et méconnue du talent d'un interprète hors du commun, indifférent aux modes, et dernier porteur d'une formidable tradition d'indépendance.

Ivry Gitlis, who passed away on Christmas Eve 2020, would have turned one hundred this year. A fervent interpreter of the Romantic repertoire, as well as the great composers of the 20th century (Bartók, Hindemith, Stravinsky), he left, however, few recordings of Bach's work. This makes this completely unreleased recording of the three violin concertos, made in 1997 in Copenhagen with a Danish orchestral ensemble, all the more precious. A highly personal vision if ever there was one—a world away from Baroque trends—colored by a vibrato instantly recognizable. Even if this "Central European" vision will not appeal to everyone, it is well worth seeking out, if only for the infinite tenderness with which Ivry inhabits the slow movement of the concerto in A minor, as well as for the passion that animates every single note. While the recording naturally focuses on the soloist, to the detriment of the orchestra, which is somewhat lost in the background, Gitlis, at 75, still demonstrates an instrumental authority, an energy, and a taste for risk that will not go unnoticed. He even manages to find a surprising freedom of phrasing in a text that is nonetheless meticulously structured, and which ordinarily leaves little room for improvisation (Adagio BWV 1042). In the double concerto, it is Natalia Likhopoi (future wife of Viktor Tretyakov) who takes his place. With a lively tone and palpable enthusiasm, this unexpected duo, guided throughout by Ivry's voice, works beautifully. Three pieces for solo violin, a Chaconne that is somewhat unrestrained but of uncommon intensity, the Fugue from the Sonata in C (which will baffle more than a few), and the Gavotte from the Partita in E, recorded live in Tokyo in 1990, complete the album, which is generously illustrated and includes the violinist's discography, which I had the pleasure of compiling. It reveals a rare and little-known facet of the talent of an extraordinary performer, indifferent to trends, and the last bearer of a formidable tradition of independence. [JMM]

28 September 2022 | Jonathan Woolf | MusicWeb International | Ivry Gitlis plays Bach  The richly communicative instincts of Ivry Gitlis are heard in previously unreleased Bach.

This year (2022) is the centenary of Ivry Gitlis’s birth (he very nearly made it to 100) and with its latest entrant in the Gitlis Edition, Rhine Classics does his many admirers a real service by releasing previously unissued Danish Radio studio recordings. Not only that, but as Gitlis left behind a meagre Bach representation it adds significantly to it. Checking Jean-Michel Molkhou’s discography, presented in the booklet, reveals that other than the haul in this disc he only recorded the Air (twice), and made one other recording of the Chaconne. Other than that – rien du tout. [...] Rather like Daniil Shafran, Gitlis has a wayward, sometimes exhausting tale to tell. But it’s a tale nonetheless and his storytelling instincts inform every phrase he plays. For all sorts of reasons these performances are not for everyone but with 24bit 96kHz remastering they can certainly be recommended to Gitlis collectors who can here appreciate his generosity of heart and his warm-blooded instincts in Bach.