It is now exactly ten years ago that Sigiswald Kuijken and Gustav Leonhardt recorded Bach's six sonatas for violin and harpsichord, BWV1014-19 (Harmonia Mundi/Conifer 1C 151 99820-21, 2/80). On that occasion Leonhardt used a 1962 Skowroneck copy of a Dulcken harpsichord. In the time which has intervened the timbre of modern harpsichords has changed considerably and it is the somewhat strident, almost metallic tone of the Skowroneck which dampens my enthusiasm for this set which is admirable in so many other ways. Much more recently Reinhardt Goebel and Robert Hill included the six sonatas in the splendid Cologne Musica Antiqua anthology of Bach's chamber music which I reviewed at the beginning of the year (Archiv Produktion 2742 007, 1/84—part of a seven-LP set). Now we have another set from Monica Huggett and Ton Koopman who, in addition to the sonatas as they are generally performed, have added two of Bach's alternative thoughts on the G major Sonata (BWV1019). The significant departure from tradition in these virtuoso sonatas is Bach's treatment of the harpsichord as an obbligato instrument. Thus both parts are responsible for thematic development which, it hardly needs stressing in Bach's case, frequently reaches dazzling heights of invention and brilliance. Writers have often emphasized the integral character of the six sonatas, which lies in the fact that together they contain almost all the possibilities available within a set form. Forkel, Bach's first biographer, noted that the violin part required a master. Bach, he said, knew all the possibilities of the instrument sparing it as little as he spared the harpsichord.
Monica Huggett and Ton Koopman have been working together since Koopman founded his Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra several years ago. What grows between a director and his leader, all being well, is a strong partnership and rapport and this is a particularly rewarding feature of the new set. Monica Huggett has few rivals in the baroque-violin world where sweetness of tone is concerned. She also has a fine ear which serves well the interests of intonation. What strikes me most of all about these performances, however, is the singleness of thought between the two artists. Everything is naturally expressive and there is not anywhere a hint of aggression. In that respect I find this set unique. Slow movements, above all, benefit from Monica Huggett's technique; the Andante un poco of BWV1015 has a tenderness of expression and a warmth of tone which I have not encountered in other performances. She also captures the sighing magic of Bach's often lengthy melodic phrases with her finely controlled bowing. What I missed on occasion was a more robust approach to the dashing fugal movements; some of them have a supple, bravura character which both Kuijken and Goebel capture rather well. Occasionally I felt a self-effacing presence here amounting almost to blandness. Even so, I believe that it is a very small price to pay for instrumental artistry of this calibre.
Philips have done a splendid job with the digital recording, achieving an ideal balance between the two instruments. Few details are lost and the acoustic is pleasing. Recommended.'