Bach: The Cello Suites Nos. 1-6

Product description Suites n°1 BWV1007, n°2 BWV1008, n°3 BWV1009, n°4 BWV1010, n°5 BWV1011 & n°6 BWV1012 - Traditionnel écossais : La Chanson des Oiseaux - Prélude de la Suite n°1 selon 3 manuscrits différents / Steven Isserlis, violoncelle Amazon.com The Bach Cello Suites must have been recorded by virtually every great cellist past and present, beginning with Pablo Casals. This new recording by Steven Isserlis must rank among the best, technically and musically. His approach to the Suites is based on a careful analysis of the sources, a study of historical and recent research, and his own instinctive feeling. He explains all this in scholarly liner notes leavened with humor and personal comments. Isserlis describes the Suites as a succession of dances introduced by Preludes to set their mood and tonality. He feels, though, that Bach greatly transcended their dance character, especially in the Sarabandes which, through their depth and expressiveness, form the core of the Suites. Moreover, contemporary scholarship and the Suites' cumulative structural complexity and emotional intensity lead him to believe that, like the violin Sonatas and Partitas, they are connected to specific Church festivals celebrating certain aspects of the Passion story. He especially points to the tragic, oppressive character of No. 5 (the Crucifixion) and the triumphant radiance of No. 6 (the Resurrection), conceived for a five-stringed instrument. The remarkable thing is that Isserlis brings all this out in his playing. His tone, with sparing vibrato, is warm and austere, dark in the two sorrowful minor-mode Suites, bright in the others. His phrasing is as natural as speech; with perfectly controlled rhythm, the dances really dance. Voices stand out like threads in a tapestry. Bach's own manuscript having been lost, Isserlis adds three versions of the first Prelude taken from the earliest copies, and honors Casals with "The Song of the Birds," a Catalan folksong closely associated with him. Lovers of Bach and great cello playing must not miss this recording. --Edith Eisler