Bach: Sonata No 3; Partita No 3; Guy: Lysandra

Maya Homburger (violin) Maya Recordings MCD 1101 ****

Maya Homburger (violin) Maya Recordings MCD 1101****

Swiss violinist Maya Homburger here completes her three-disc survey of Bach's works for solo violin, each disc pairing a sonata and a partita and adding a specially commissioned piece by Barry Guy. The opening Adagio of the Sonata in C sets the tone. It's not so much that tje tempo is on the slow side, but rather that the approach is contemplative, even devotional, the measured delivery conveying a sense of something hard won. This of course means that the Partita in E is not as breezily outgoing as in some other performances. But the solidity is very satisfying in its own way. Like all of the commissioned pieces, Guy's Lysandrais named after a butterfly, and takes the baroque violin on flights that Bach would hardly have dreamt of. See url.ie/8h2f

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor