Solid and secure, Oliveira’s playing is oriented entirely to the violin, so his technical choices are dictated by what feels and sounds best. His tone is pure, his intonation flawless. Technical difficulties do not exist. Tempi and dynamics are moderate, rhythm is steady, and he takes few if any rhythmic liberties, except for waiting a very long time between sections and on fermatas. The only pervasively disturbing element is a tendency to accent every strong beat (or perhaps every down bow?), which compromises Bach’s long melodic lines and phrases.

Still, the performance is thoroughly respectable, though it lacks imagination and involvement. It feels as if the players were outside both the music and their own reactions to it. The G minor Concerto, a transcription of the F minor Harpsichord Concerto, is not really suited to the violin, except for the beautiful, singing slow movement with its highly ornamented reprise.

The recording’s highlight is the Double Concerto, with violinist Eva Gruesser joining Oliveira as soloist. She seems to inject rhythmic and emotional freedom and a Romantic lyricism into the playing as the accents disappear and the melodies flow and soar.

That doesn’t mean you ignore the techniques needed to achieve the effects Bach desired, as for example the notable bariolage in the final movement, an energetic gig, of the Concerto in a Major, BWV 1041. This bowing technique involves quick alternation between a static note and changing notes, where the static note is usually on an open string, so that the violinist sounds the same pitch back and forth, creating a uniquely resonant, shimmering effect. Another case in point is the Adagio movement of the Concerto in E Major, BWV 1042. Here Oliveira cherishes Bach’s cantabile melody built on a persistent bass, a supreme example of Baroque cantilena that is uniquely wonderful, even in a program of four concerti whose slow movement melodies will stay in your head for a long time after you’ve heard them.

Another example of an exquisite beauty is the famous Largo of the Concerto in G minor, BWV 1056b, a work usually heard as a keyboard concerto but here transcribed in very idiomatic terms to what is supposed to have been its original form as a violin concerto. This being one of Bach’s best loved melodies (see the Beatles, “Hey Jude, don’t let me down”), it is interesting to note its similarity to the pure, unembellished oboe passage in the Sinfonia to Bach’s Cantata 156, “Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe” (I stand with a foot in the grave) where it expresses resignation and patient hope in the resurrection and eternal life.

Finally, in the Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins, BWV 1043, Oliveira is joined by violinist Eva Gruesser in a work remarkable for the subtle, expressive relationship between the two soloists, involving fugal imitation and counterpoint that weaves harmoniously rich lines into intricate patterns. Once again, that observation is particularly true of the slow movement, marked Largo ma non tanto and one of Bach’s most sublime creations.

The three solo concertos—in A minor, BWV 1041; in E major, BWV 1042; and in G minor, BWV 1056b, a reworking of Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056—are played with infinite musicality. Oliveira brings subtlety to his flowing phrasings that capture the elegance of the slow movements. And in the faster outer movements, Oliveira’s keen sense of rhythm brings vibrancy to the music and underscores its soft dance- like charm.

Eva Gruesser joins Oliveira in the Double Concerto, and the interplay between the two soloists is wonderful. Their duets sound like one instrument and they bring finely shaded nuances to their interpretation.

The Arco Ensemble, conducted by Oliveira, brings a nicely hewn balance to the equation. Both the ensemble and the soloists give an understated performance that is nevertheless dynamic and effusive.