Blind comparison: Bach Cello Suites

Started by aukhawk, January 26, 2015, 05:58:02 AM

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Wakefield

Quote from: aukhawk on April 23, 2015, 03:35:40 AM

Arnau Tomàs

   
This appears to be unavailable as CD from Amazon US.
As I write, it is available as CD via Amazon UK ("3 in stock") http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00P08LCEA
or it is available as downloads from both sources.
The record label is Aglae Música which appears to be a very small Spanish independent.
http://www.aglaemusica.com/web/en/produccion_discografica/1%C2%BA-produccion-aglae-musica/

I don't have the recording details, but it was released in late 2014 so probably recorded earlier that year, possibly in some collegiate facility in Barcelona.

... this sounds as the Third GMG Universal Law: our favorite recordings are always demonically hard to find and released by the tiniest and mysterious labels.  :D

P.S.: Second Universal Law - covers of re-releases are ALWAYS uglier than the original covers...
"One of the greatest misfortunes of honest people is that they are cowards. They complain, keep quiet, dine and forget."
-- Voltaire

springrite

Just ordered the Tomas.

Now there are two left in stock...
Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.

jlaurson

Arnau a surprise to me, too... completely unique in moments.

Strange how, saturated, the fabulous other finalists didn't manage to convince as much anymore in the last Round.

I'm not a little pleased, though, that my un-blind testing and tasting for ionarts yielded results that aren't so far off.

Especially my early championing of Lipkind...

http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-cello-suites-bach-ii-fournier.html
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-cello-suites-bach-iii-gastinel.html



Mandryka

#243


I know Arnau Tomas's set. I checked it out  when it came out because he's cellist for Cuarteto Casals, which is an ensemble I'm interested in.  He can be really fleet footed, light. And sometimes he can croon quite movingly. Altogether fun to hear.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Pat B

Very interesting!

I heard Queyras and Badiarov in every round. Queyras was my outright favorite in the prologue and the first two rounds, but slipped in the final (still 2nd, but closer to 3rd than 1st). A different configuration might have given him the crown. Badiarov was pretty good throughout. I had him last in the final, but that's not bad.

I did not hear Tomàs until the final. I thought his performance was at the same level as Queyras's, but his obtrusive breathing noises were the tiebreaker.

I heard Lipkind in all but the semi-final. Even though he was my clear choice in the 5th suite, he was so awful in the prologue and round 1 that I can't imagine listening to his set. I was shocked that he made it through.

I own 4 sets, all of which were eliminated in the prologue or round 1. I like Bylsma 1979, regardless of what the yokels in Group D say. ;) Queyras is going on my wishlist. I've been interested in Beschi (based on GMG comments and online samples) but unfortunately never heard him here.

Thanks to aukhawk for running this.

aligreto

Very interesting indeed! I have never heard of Arnau Tomàs but I did give him my second place vote. I must get that set.

Thanks again to aukhawk for running this particular blind comparison.

North Star

Quote from: Mandryka on April 23, 2015, 07:46:51 AM

I know Arnau Tomas's set. I checked it out  when it came out because he's cellist for Cuarteto Casals, which is an ensemble I'm interested in.  He can be really fleet footed, light. And sometimes he can croon quite movingly. Altogether fun to hear.
Ah yes, I have heard the Cuarteto's recordings. Splendid ensemble indeed.
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

My photographs on Flickr

aukhawk

#247
Oh, it was fun (I think  ;) )

FWIW I don't much like the Tomàs recording - I listened to one, maybe two of the suites and then consigned it to my 'rejects' virtual heap about 5 months ago.  It seemed to me that Queyras covers this ground better, and anyway I prefer more left-field versions like East or Wispelwey or indeed Lipkind (though his progress here was a revelation). 
And in particular I suspect the Tomàs ambience of being artificial - though I can't explain why this should bother me in the slightest (I'm fully conscious that most recordings are artificial things and not representative of any actual 'performance' - and I'm fine with that). 
I'd be interested to hear from :premont: when he gets the CD, about any recording details (venue) from the booklet.
(If it turns out it was recorded in here I'll be happy to eat my words!)

premont

Quote from: aukhawk on April 23, 2015, 09:18:51 AM

I'd be interested to hear from :premont: when he gets the CD, about any recording details (venue) from the booklet.
(If it turns out it was recorded in here I'll be happy to eat my words!)


;D

Yes, I shall report about this.
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

premont

#249
Quote from: (: premont :) on April 23, 2015, 09:37:48 AM

Yes, I shall report about this.

Arrived today - have not listened to it yet.
Recorded in a church in Barcelona - not the Sagrada Familia, but:

Església parroquial de Sant Marti, Granera (Barcelona) July 2014.

Cello: Anselmo Curletto - Torino 1909
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

amw

Quote from: Mandryka on April 23, 2015, 07:46:51 AMhe's cellist for Cuarteto Casals
Looks like the rule of GMG chamber blind comparisons is shaping up to be "Harmonia Mundi ensembles from the last 5 years > everything"

Thanks for hosting, it was fun to read :)

xochitl

the Arnau Tomas is on spotify for those interested

jfdrex

aukhawk ~ Many thanks for organizing this exercise. :)

I prefaced my earlier remarks re. the X-Files Final Four by saying that this was a blind listening for me--and the results reveal that indeed it was.  I am not familiar with any of finalists (except, very slightly, Queyras); obviously I'm still stuck in the Fournier generation. :laugh:   So the final "reveal" was quite a revelation for me.  My general lack of knowledge about these particular cellists (and of recent performing styles in this music) made it all the more fascinating to read other listeners' reactions to the various performances along the way.

But I'm not giving up my Fournier recording! ;)

Cheers,

John

Peter Power Pop

#253

aukhawk

#254
Quote from: (: premont :) on April 24, 2015, 02:56:12 AM
Església parroquial de Sant Marti, Granera (Barcelona) July 2014.

Thanks - mmm, churchy.  Good venue - not a lot of passing traffic to worry about!  (Maybe a few nesting birds - vultures maybe.)

Quote from: amw on April 24, 2015, 03:22:55 AM
Looks like the rule of GMG chamber blind comparisons is shaping up to be "Harmonia Mundi ensembles from the last 5 years > everything"
Thanks for hosting, it was fun to read :)

Fun to do, too.  As it happens, my current favourite among the Sonatas and Partitas is yet another HM recording ...

Just for interest folks, and not to be taken too seriously, here is a rundown of all 30 participants.  The 'score' for each consists of the round they reached, followed by their overall average score - so for example Schiff (2.61) reached round 2, and scored 61% overall.

=====================

   1. Arnau Tomàs              3.77   C6//F2/G4/X3
===2. Gavriel Lipkind          3.62   B7//E1/G5/X4
===2. Jean-Guihen Queyras      3.71   B1//E5/H2/X1   ** promoted with very good average score
===4. Dmitry Badiarov (spalla) 3.49   B5//E4/H5/X2
===4. Boris Pergamenschikow    2.64   C8//F6/G3   ** promoted with very good average score
===4. Heinrich Schiff          2.61   A10//D3/H4  ** promoted with very good average score

   7. Pierre Fournier          2.53   C2//E6/G1
   8. Alexander Kniazev        2.48   C5//D1/H3
   9. Paolo Pandolfo (gamba)   2.51   A8//D5/G2
  10. Paolo Beschi             1.58   A3//D6      ** promoted with good average score
  11. Vito Paternoster         1.55   A1//D2      ** promoted with good average score
  12. Angela East              2.45   C1//F5/H1
  13. Patricia McCarty (viola) 1.49   C3//F4
  14. Truls Mørk               1.50   C10//F3
  15. Ophélie Gaillard(2)      1.40   C7//F1
  16. Jaap ter Linden (Brilliant) 1.38   B10//E2
  17. Anner Bylsma(1)          1.36   A5//D4
==18. Pablo Casals (Pristine)  1.30   B2//E3
==18. Yo-Yo Ma                 0.42   A2      ** promoted as could have gone through (instead of Casals)
==20. Paul Tortelier           0.42   A4
==20. Bruno Cocset             0.40   C4
==20. Maurice Gendron          0.40   C9
==20. Winona Zelenka           0.40   B6
==24. Isang Enders             0.33   A7
==24. Steven Isserliss         0.33   A9
==24. Anner Bylsma(2)          0.30   B8
==24. Lynn Harrell             0.30   B9
==24. Mstislav Rostropovich    0.30   B4
==24. Pieter Wispelwey(3)      0.30   B3
  30. Janos Starker (Mercury)  0.08   A6

aligreto

And I would consider Starker and Wispelwey to be big favourites of mine  :( ::)

Pat B

Quote from: aligreto on April 25, 2015, 04:24:16 AM
And I would consider Starker and Wispelwey to be big favourites of mine  :( ::)

That Starker is not my favorite, but it's certainly not bad. I'd rather listen to it than some of the higher finishers, including one finalist.

Having participated in a few of these blind comparisons, I have learned that the value is in my own listening, not the final tally.

jlaurson

Quote from: aligreto on April 25, 2015, 04:24:16 AM
And I would consider Starker and Wispelwey to be big favourites of mine  :( ::)

Wispelwey 3 or Wispelwey 2? The latter is one of my absolute favorites (or so I'd like to think). The latter I didn't warm to even when I really wanted to and tried, knowingly. Not that it's bad in any way, I find... but I would have been more shocked had Wispy-2 seen such an early exit.

aligreto

Quote from: jlaurson on April 25, 2015, 11:36:42 PM
Wispelwey 3 or Wispelwey 2? The latter is one of my absolute favorites (or so I'd like to think). The latter I didn't warm to even when I really wanted to and tried, knowingly. Not that it's bad in any way, I find... but I would have been more shocked had Wispy-2 seen such an early exit.

This is the one that I have...





....which I think is 2?

jlaurson