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Lara St. John
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Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo Audio CD – Super Audio CD - DSD, October 9, 2007

by Lara St. John (Artist), Bach (Composer)
4.1 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
"A high-powered soloist" -- New York Times

"Something of a phenomenon" -- Strad

"It is difficult to argue with such a technically dazzling and unfailingly musical interpretation." -- Gramophone

"A close-to-symphonic tone, a personal way with a phrase: Such artistry defeats all questions of historical correctness. If an interpretation that plumbs the depths and scales the heights of the famous Chaconne is not authentic, what is?" -- Montreal Gazette

"In her first three recordings she has show a rare mastery of violin technique, which makes her more than just a pretty face... This disc, which contains Bach's three violin concertos, and the first sonata for solo violin, shows that she plays these majestic pieces effortlessly." -- Music Web

Born in London, Ontario, Lara St. John was a child prodigy on the violin at the age of two, and went on her first European tour at the age of ten! At age thirteen she skipped from the eighth grade to a B.A. program at the Curtis Institute of Music. She plays a priceless 1779 Guadagnini violin. Her compelling personality and insightful performances have stimulated interest in classical music in a wide audience that seldom listened to it before. She scandalized some of the old school for appearing scantily clad on a couple of album covers, but she is completely authentic: a great violinist, whatever she is or is not wearing. As one critic wrote, she "has nothing to hide"--her musicality is first class. Lara St. John's brilliant musicianship, striking looks, and vivid personality have made her an authentic classical superstar. Recorded at Skywalker Sound in Super Audio and available in Hybrid.

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  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    Allegro Corporation
  3. Publication date
    October 9, 2007
  4. Dimensions
    5.73 x 0.33 x 5.01 inches
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000VZAVSU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allegro Corporation (October 9, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.73 x 0.33 x 5.01 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Lara St. John

Lara St. John

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4.1 out of 5 stars
20 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • reesah mouse
    5.0 out of 5 stars Feel the Music
    Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I am not an expert on classical music, so I can't disagree with other reviews here. I have listened to the samples of other artists playing these same pieces, and I would love to get those albums also for a different perspective. There was a particular piece that I wanted from this album, though, so I took a chance and bought the whole album. I'm so glad that I did.

    I love this album more than I can adequately express in a review. This version of these pieces has a unique sound and intense emotion. I feel like I'm not just listening to the music, not just hearing the notes played as written, but I'm feeling the music. It sets a mood, sometimes a bit melancholic, sometimes sort of painful and sad, sometimes I'm not quite sure, but it's something. I just love it.
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  • RJAdams
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bach, In the Beginning
    Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I have three sets: Heifetz RCA mono, poorly recorded, amazing technically, and astonishingly boring; Szerying DGG, lovely and in pristine sound, moderately dramatic, with a warm violinistic display but a rather tepid narrative; Milstein DGG, also very beautiful but rather chilly in temperament. This recording, on the other hand, is red hot, passionate, exploratory, and ruddily revelatory. St. John gives us a transcendent and timeless creative genius not clothed in ecclesiastical garb but one elemental, salty, sensual, aspiring, and combustible. This is a solo soul yearning for companionship. I cannot imagine a better depiction of the first chapter of Genesis or the first ten lines of the Gospel of John.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Nycademon
    3.0 out of 5 stars Realism please
    Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    I kind of hate to rain on the parade of 5 star reviews, but in my opinion, this is just a good -- NOT notable -- version of Bach's sonatas and partitas.

    I'm very familiar with releases of the complete sonatas and partitas by Itzhak Perlman, Nathan Milstein, and Henryk Szeryng. In my opinion, Szeryng's version (Label: Deutsche Grammophon ASIN: B000001GXY) is best, followed closely by Milstein (Label: Deutsche Grammophon ASIN: B000001H00). Perlman's is quite good, although I think his playing is a bit too "clean" and "Classical" for these Baroque works.

    Additionally, on "Hilary Hahn Plays Bach" are the second and third partitas and the third sonata, and on "J.S. Bach: Violin Concertos; 3 Partitas" are Viktoria Mullova's version of the partitas. Hahn's version of Partita 2 is OK, though her tempo on the Ciaccona is way too slow. I like Mullova's partitas at least as much as Perlman's, because they're played beautifully, and her "take" on them is quite different from the others.

    I would place St. John's version slightly below Hilary Hahn's, at the bottom of this list. St. John is unquestionably a gifted violinist, but her playing is flawed in places, she doesn't establish any sort of "mood", and this release doesn't compare well with Szeryng's and Milstein's versions of these works, which are simply phenomenal.

    So please take all these 5 star reviews with a grain of salt. These performances are good, but there are many that are better.

    UPDATE: Apparently, some folks haven't found this review helpful. In an effort to be more helpful, I'd like to provide the following: you can listen to this entire two CD set at Magnatune ([...]) for free. Go there, listen to this thing, and then ask yourself if you really want to drop almost $30 on it. You might also want to listen to samples from the much better and less expensive releases I listed in my review. I did buy this set, and I consider it money badly spent. So listen, then decide.
    62 people found this helpful
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  • Hugh
    4.0 out of 5 stars Cd received
    Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    The cd appears to be in good shape. I have not tried it, since it will be a gift, but I will get back if there are any problems. Delivery took one month, but that did not bother me.

    The price was excellent. It was worth the wait to get a good price.

    --Hugh
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  • PhilDrone
    5.0 out of 5 stars Even if you have many others, buy & cherish this version
    Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Lara St. John is not afraid to be herself--what you get is a unique version of Bach's masterpieces by someone who has lived with them a long time and thought and felt deeply about them--and is not above having a lot of fun and pizzaz as well. She is a virtuoso with a heart and soul. I have several other performances--Hilary Hahn, Arthur Grumiaux, Nathan Milstein. This can stand among the best of our time and the great recorded past.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Alano
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    As good as it gets. Very distinctive and compelling performances.
    One person found this helpful
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  • William Kasimer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the squeamish...
    Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2011
    This is a recording that you will either enjoy or detest. If you expect consistently beautiful tone and technical perfection, look elsewhere. But if you value expression, imagination, and spontaneity, this may be for you.

    St. John's S&P recording is certainly heavily HIP-influenced; she uses gut strings, and plays with minimal vibrato. Tempi are brisk but not inflexible. She is not afraid to really "dig in" and occasionally produce a sound that some might call ugly, but it's all in the interest of expression and tonal variety. Those who are fussy about intonation, will find find plenty to complain about, although at least some of it is, I believe, intentional.

    But her playing never fails to engage me; it always has a feeling of spontaneity and joie de vivre, and there's not a single moment of what can be called "bland note-spinning". She captures the mood of each movement beautifully, and phrases with real skill, with a wide tonal and dynamic palette. The recorded sound quality is superb.

    I would never want to limit myself to a single version of the Sonatas and Partitas, and if I did, this would probably NOT be the one. But it is among the versions I pull off the shelf most often (along with Tetzlaff, Kremer, and Milstein's second version). The packaging, however, stinks; it's virtually impossible to remove the discs without damaging them. The photographs of the violinist are not particularly flattering, but in some way the seem appropriate for the style of playing - interesting and attractive, but a little short of makeup and a trifle disheveled.
    10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Andre Ouellet
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bon album.
    Reviewed in Canada on March 31, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Très bonne artiste à découvrir.
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  • steve webb
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Excellant
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  • monoday
    5.0 out of 5 stars 自由奔放で爽快
    Reviewed in Japan on January 2, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    基本的にはピリオド奏法によって演奏されています。ただ、演奏スタイルはバロック風ではありません。速い曲では疾風怒涛のようで、奔放で弾きたいように弾いているといった感じです。爽快な演奏です。
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