Ottawa Citizen, July 22, 1999

Concert sizzles with sex appeal

Perhaps the strongest of these [high points] was the "overture" concert that consisted entirely of Lara St. John playing Bach's Partita No. 2 in D minor for solo violin, the Partita with the famous Chaconne.

It was an exceptionally individual performance, thoroughly sensous and seductive, and yet one still had the feeling that the music was Bach's.

It was outstanding without being outlandish.

The slow movements were langorous, exploratory and rewarding. The fast ones were exciting, especially the Gigue, though I suspect some listeners found them too fast and aggressive.

The Chaconne was lucid and dramatic. There was a natural and convincing sense of the movement's architecture, even though St. John eschewed the monolithic sternness that informs so many performances. If there were one or two moments when one wished for more grandeur, there were many others in which many uncommon layers of feeling were revealed.