Bach Cello Suites

[aligreto]

Its a studio performance which was made 7 to 8 years prior to the live one you are watching.

Merci bien.

[SonicMan46]

Count me in as another fan of Anner Bijlsma (2nd recording on Sony). 

Another I really like is Paolo Beshi  (Winter & Winter):

@Dave, wich recording on violoncello da spalla do you prefer - Sigiswald Kuijken or Dimitri Badiarov?

Hi Que - some discussion throughout the 'Old Musical Instruments' thread HERE; also, Dmitry Badiarov has a BLOG w/ an excellent article - love the fact that he made and played his own instrument!  Searching the web, not much in the way of reviews - see attached PDF; also, Spotify and/or YouTube might offer some samplings.

BUT, this morning, I re-listened to the first discs of each performer (had been a while) - the timings of the discs are nearly identical.  Both play their instruments well w/ plenty of nuance - however, in one of the reviews in the attachment, mention was made of some echoing & reverb in the Badiarov recording, and I have to agree, i.e. he seems a little more in the background and I always prefer 'up front' sound.  Bottom line - I believe that you would enjoy either one and hopefully some 'sampling' may help.  Dave

[Wakefield]

@Dave, wich recording on violoncello da spalla do you prefer - Sigiswald Kuijken or Dimitri Badiarov?

Q

Terakado, after all I'm not Sonic. 

[SonicMan46]

Terakado, after all I'm not Sonic. 

Gordo - LOL!   Never searched for 'other' performances on the shoulder cello, but yet another one - $56 on Amazon at the moment - are there others out there? 

BTW - for others who have mentioned the Smith theorbo recordings below - only one available currently on Amazon USA - be nice if Naive would put both discs into a nice 'slim' CD case for the price of one -   BUT, these are available on Spotify, so may plug my iPad into the den stereo and take a listen this afternoon - Dave

 

[Mandryka]

I choose Badiarov because I like the sound of his instrument most, and I like the feeling of the hall in the recording, which seems really realistic. I'd miss Terakado a lot though, who is intense as hell in the last three, and very controlled and expressive, which is something I like. But I do like Badiarov's sound, and the rather aristocratic and inflected style.

I have the Kuijken too but every time I try to hear it I feel it's too empty affectively, but it could be me.

[prémont]

I find Badiarov manly and Terakado feminine. In this terminology Kuijken feels a tad sexless.
As to preferences I like Badiarov and Terakado equally and Kuijken a little less.

[Que]

Terakado, after all I'm not Sonic. 

Ah...gotcha.. a third candidate! 

[asin]B00169ZD9W[/asin]

I guess more choice is kind of an upside to being a slow mover....

Thank you all gentlemen, for your comments!

Q

[Wakefield]

I choose Badiarov because I like the sound of his instrument most, and I like the feeling of the hall in the recording, which seems really realistic.

Being Badiarov the builder of these violas da spalla, he maybe reserved the best for himself. 

[Wakefield]

I find Badiarov manly and Terakado feminine. In this terminology Kuijken feels a tad sexless.
As to preferences I like Badiarov and Terakado equally and Kuijken a little less.

I find your comment oversexed. 

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Gordo - LOL!   Never searched for 'other' performances on the shoulder cello, but yet another one - $56 on Amazon at the moment - are there others out there? 

BTW - for others who have mentioned the Smith theorbo recordings below - only one available currently on Amazon USA - be nice if Naive would put both discs into a nice 'slim' CD case for the price of one -   BUT, these are available on Spotify, so may plug my iPad into the den stereo and take a listen this afternoon - Dave

 

These are very good! Nigel North's recordings are also worth hearing.

[bob_cart]

I thank all of you for commenting! I'll check out the recordings I haven't already. I must say I've underestimated the members of this forum and their knowledge of music, or at least of the cello suites! Cheers!

[Mandryka]

Interesting article on Vogler and Wispelwey here

http://stringsmagazine.com/two-different-approaches-to-bachs-solo-cello-suites/

[bioluminescentsquid]

Just a few impressions on this hard-to-find recording, which I posted elsewhere but I thought was worthy to put here:



Compared to most of my favorites (Beschi, Wispelwey, Bylsma #1 etc.) it sounded quite bland and featureless, even languid and just sans spirit, at my first listen.

But with successive spins, it's "opening up" a lot as I find more nuances and get used to the subtlety, although the playing still doesn't have too many defining characteristics. If I were to describe this performance, I'll say that it is ascetic, humble, and decidedly introverted.

I think Mandryka experienced a similar reaction to this too.
Now if Harmonica Mundi would re-issue it!

[bioluminescentsquid]

A little tale about Bylsma #1 (on Seon, not his later recording on a Stradivarius), my absolute favorite set that I've cherished for quite a long time



I remember that a friend gave me this set. I was already quite familiar with the suites but rather unacquainted with HIP performances (Fournier was the version I had).
So, I listened to the prelude of the 4th suite (used to be my least favorite one) on the drive home, and thought "wow, this reminds me of a 17th century vanitas painting for some reason."


(Pieter Claesz)

It's quite odd that a recording that I listen to for the first time spontaneously makes me so strongly associate an image with it, but I think something in the music just clicked with me, reminded me of life and mortality and other things that I think of...

Anyways, this recording embodies what I look for in Bach - the immense sense of humility and deceptive simplicity, boundless, but very private sense of joy, even ecstasy, and a tinge (but not too much) of melancholy, or at least stoic resignation. 

[bioluminescentsquid]

Between the 2nd (sony, on a Stradivarius cello) and 1st (seon) recordings, the style has definitely matured by the 2nd one, and I guess the playing is more "characteristic" (dynamic accents, agogics) of Bylsma. I think Mandryka mentions that it sounds like a recitative, which I very much agree.

But sometimes it also feels somewhat mannered, over-polished, smooth, even a bit watery, and the far-away, nasal tone of the Servais doesn't really help - that's my main complaint. #1 is more lyrical, more rough-and-ready, more down-to-earth for me (and I like the phrasings better), but I hope that #2 will open up like Suzuki did.

They are, though, very different recordings: I wouldn't have guessed that they were the same performer had I not known Bylsma!

[aukhawk]

I too am very fond of Bylsma 1 which, when I first heard it on the radio, shortly after release, completely bowled me over, back then it was literally my first exposure to anything HIP.  (My only other knowledge of the Cello Suites at that time was Fournier and especially Tortelier.) 
And I was very disappointed when I later bought the Bylsma CDs only to disover too late that this was Bylsma 2, a very different (and relatively uninteresting) kettle of fish.

[Marc]

It's a pity that Bylsma didn't record the suites for a 3rd time, because it would have been another different one, too.

I once saw a (dutch) documentary on (dutch) telly (in the late 90s) about Bylsma and his book [ed. Bach, the fencing master].
In this Bylsma is defending the phrasing signs, slurs, dots et al in the Anna Magdalena manuscript. They were always neglected, because they 'felt' completely wrong. He decided to try to play the suites in Magdalena's manner and was convinced they were completely right. And yes, most modern people would not find that 'beautiful', but in his view baroque definitions of 'beauty' might be different. I recall him being asked "what would your friend Slava [Rostropovitch] think of your book?" and he smiled and said "Slava would think 'Anner has gone mad'" (or someting like that).

Mind you: Bylsma has never recorded the suites in the Magdalena matter, though.

[Mandryka]

Bylsma 2 . . . and relatively uninteresting . . .

No just hold on a minute, you may not like it, but he's full of ideas about phrasing in the second recording, new ideas, and interesting ones. And he uses an exceptional cello, which is interesting.

These dark low cellos -- Wispelway III and Bylsma II -- bring something new to the game.

[Mandryka]

I'll say that it is . . .  decidedly introverted.

Yes. In truth I've only heard 5 and 6 so far but I'd say both are very sad. I like them.,

[Mandryka]

A little tale about Bylsma #1 (on Seon, not his later recording on a Stradivarius), my absolute favorite set that I've cherished for quite a long time



I remember that a friend gave me this set. I was already quite familiar with the suites but rather unacquainted with HIP performances (Fournier was the version I had).
So, I listened to the prelude of the 4th suite (used to be my least favorite one) on the drive home, and thought "wow, this reminds me of a 17th century vanitas painting for some reason."


(Pieter Claesz)

It's quite odd that a recording that I listen to for the first time spontaneously makes me so strongly associate an image with it, but I think something in the music just clicked with me, reminded me of life and mortality and other things that I think of...

Anyways, this recording embodies what I look for in Bach - the immense sense of humility and deceptive simplicity, boundless, but very private sense of joy, even ecstasy, and a tinge (but not too much) of melancholy, or at least stoic resignation.

I agree that that prelude is outstanding.