Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (CD)

‘One player, one instrument, one composer: Bach’s unaccompanied violin music has always been the greatest for any player, young or old. Alina Ibragimova, only 23, is already its equal’ (The Guardian)  ‘Alina Ibragimova began to play unaccompanied Bach on the violin, and the hush became silence. This was spontaneous, the first sense that something new could happen’ (The Independent)

  The dazzling young virtuoso Alina Ibragimova has enthralled audiences for years with her live Bach performances. Critics have acclaimed her faultless intonation, achingly beautiful tone, superlative technique and a musical wisdom far beyond her years. Now, in this important new recording of Bach’s complete sonatas and partitas for solo violin, Ibragimova brings all these qualities and more to create an interpretation that is both excitingly original and profoundly humble. This is music of unfathomable subtlety, astounding virtuosity and great expressive and architectural beauty.

 SUNDAY TIMES CD OF THE WEEK ; GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE; BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE INSTRUMENTAL CHOICE ; DAILY TELEGRAPH CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK; SUNDAY TIMES BEST OF THE YEAR

 'She's supremely alert to the idiomatic nuances of each dance … her technical accomplishment is awesome. The D minor Giga scampers along as if mindful of the transcendent monumentality of the Ciaccona lurking around the corner - and when it arrives, Ibragimova tip-toes and soars with aplomb' (BBC Music Magazine) 'Ibragimova reveals herself to be an exquisite interpreter of solo Bach … Her Bach comes as something of a revelation. The finesse we've previously admired in her playing is here combined with thoughtful stylistic awareness and a distinctive, individual approach … All her stylishness and technical refinement is at the service of an ingrained understanding of the music' (Gramophone)

 'One baulks at reducing this sublime discourse to adjectives … These solo structures are thin yet monumental, linear yet multilayered, technically specialised yet altogether soul-rending, and she capitalises on every paradox. More simply, her sound is seductive, her virtuosity bracing and every movement a victory … A true enshrining of the violin's soul' (The Sunday Times)

 'Alina Ibragimova's previous discs for Hyperion have all been of 20th-century repertoire … All in their different ways were first rate, but none of them gave any inkling of just how startlingly good Ibragimova's solo Bach recordings might be. This is an absolutely compelling set of performances, the kind that have you on the edge of your seat wondering at the freshness of it all and what she might do next. Every phrase in these familiar works seems newly minted, every bar totally alive' (The Guardian) 'Young, excellent and serious, this 24-year old violinist plays with a maturity far beyond her years. In this two CD-set she's right inside the music, whether Bach calls for roaring fire or the tenderest melancholy' (The Times)