Since she branched out from the various groups with which she has been associated (most notably the Palladian Ensemble and Florilegium), Rachel Podger has been making quite a stir with highly acclaimed solo recordings of the Bach Partitas and Sonatas. Here she's joined by the ever-youthful Trevor Pinnock in the complete sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord. And complete they most certainly are, with the various alternative versions of the Sixth Sonata all included. If you've grown up with traditional readings of these works, you may find Podger initially seems a bit withdrawn and light of touch. Keep listening though, because within a couple of movements or so, I suspect you'll be hearing these works with new ears. They are intensely "pure" readings, vibrato applied as an expressive device rather than daubed all over Bach's graceful architecture. Nor is there any lack of perk in these performances--try the joyful second movement of the Fourth Sonata (disc 2, track 6) or Pinnock's solo movement in the Sixth Sonata (disc 1, track 3). There are countless more wonders to be found, but listing them would only spoil the surprises that await. The only disappointment is yet another staid and dreary cover design from Channel Classics: precisely the kind of thing that gets classical music a dull name. Full marks to Podger and Pinnock, but sack the designer. --Harriet Smith