What are you listening to?

[jaybee]

You're killing me, I really need to buy other things than new versions of the solo violin and cello works of Bach, but as you say there's been a rush of really great interpretations recently, looks like Beyer is going in the basket too, although I had put her at the bottom (perhaps I'll wait till it's a vinyl purchase.....??)

[fergus]

I thought that was a wonderful set by Beyer; she did great things with the music.

[Jose Echenique]

There are so many wonderful recordings of the Sonatas & Partitas to choose from. I first heard them in the commanding Nathan Milstein´s DG recording, and then I bought Arthur Grumiaux aristocratic recording in PHILIPS. The first recording in a baroque instrument was Sigiswald Kuijken´s early 1980´s DHM recording. Many others have followed, most of them excellent with the likes of Rachel Podger, Lucy van Dael, Pavlo Beznosiuk and Monica Huggett.
Viktoria Mullova recorded them in her early Russian-school days for Philips, but when she took up the baroque fiddle about a decade ago she restudied them guided by no other than Ottavio Dantone, a masterful Bach harpsichordist, who taught her a thing or two in articulation and ornamentation. I like Mullova´s Onyx recording very much, she still evinces the powerful, almost masculine fiddling of the Russian school, only without vibrato. Amandine Beyer´s super stylish and elegant readings are quite different. She doesn´t have Mullova´s super virtuosity, but her playing is assured and lovely.
But if I had to name what to my mind is the best recording I´ll have to go for Sigiswald Kuijken´s SECOND recording for Deutsche Harmonia Mundi. This is playing of incomparable mastery and understanding, from an artist who has lived with Bach and the baroque violin all his life. Kuijken was never too happy with his first recording because the engineers over edited the whole thing. For his second recording Kuijken insisted on a one-per-movement-take, so nothing is edited. Just a great recording.

[Jose Echenique]

This is probably my last purchase of the year. I have always loved the Brahms Serenades, especially #1.
They have been very well served on disc, Abbado has recorded the First twice, first with the Berlin Philharmonic and then with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, both absolutely marvelous recordings, but maybe my favourite recording is a mid-70´s recording with Kurt Masur and the Gewandhaus Orchestra. The playing of the great Gewandhaus orchestra is beyond compare there.
The first recording on period instruments came 2 years ago courtesy of CPO with the Capella Augustina and Andreas Spering. I eagerly awaited a recording on period instruments because these 2 works seemed ideally suited, even more than the symphonies, to the textures of gut strings and natural horns. Unfortunately the CPO recording though good, was not everything I hope it to be, Spering didn´t manage Abbado´s exultant joie de vivre. So here comes Nicki McGegan with his California based perior orchestra. These are live recordings, and I have to say that I enjoyed them far more than the Spering. The playing is good but not exceptional (for that we would need something like the Orchestra of the XVIII Century), but McGegan is far more joyful and engaging than Spering. Until Frans Brüggen decides to record them the McGegan will do just very nice.

[mcq]

There are so many wonderful recordings of the Sonatas & Partitas to choose from. I first heard them in the commanding Nathan Milstein´s DG recording, and then I bought Arthur Grumiaux aristocratic recording in PHILIPS. The first recording in a baroque instrument was Sigiswald Kuijken´s early 1980´s DHM recording. Many others have followed, most of them excellent with the likes of Rachel Podger, Lucy van Dael, Pavlo Beznosiuk and Monica Huggett.
Viktoria Mullova recorded them in her early Russian-school days for Philips, but when she took up the baroque fiddle about a decade ago she restudied them guided by no other than Ottavio Dantone, a masterful Bach harpsichordist, who taught her a thing or two in articulation and ornamentation. I like Mullova´s Onyx recording very much, she still evinces the powerful, almost masculine fiddling of the Russian school, only without vibrato. Amandine Beyer´s super stylish and elegant readings are quite different. She doesn´t have Mullova´s super virtuosity, but her playing is assured and lovely.
But if I had to name what to my mind is the best recording I´ll have to go for Sigiswald Kuijken´s SECOND recording for Deutsche Harmonia Mundi. This is playing of incomparable mastery and understanding, from an artist who has lived with Bach and the baroque violin all his life. Kuijken was never too happy with his first recording because the engineers over edited the whole thing. For his second recording Kuijken insisted on a one-per-movement-take, so nothing is edited. Just a great recording.

Very interesting post, Jose.  I've been intrigued by Kujiken's reading of the great Chaconne on YouTube and now I really must investigate the full set.  Have you heard his recordings of the Cello Suites on viola da spalla for Accent?  The viola da spalla is a very interesting instrument and resembles a very large viola.  It doesn't possess the full tonal range of the cello but, in the hands of the right musician,  its lighter, more lithe textures are rewarding in their own way.  There's a good video on Youtube of Kujiken performing selections from the First Suite.  I've heard Dmitry Badiarov's recording on Ramee which is very recommendable.  Apparently, Badiarov is Kujiken's preferred luthier and he is a very fine musician in his own right.

[Jose Echenique]

<Very interesting post, Jose. I've been intrigued by Kujiken's reading of the great Chaconne on YouTube and now I really must investigate the full set. Have you heard his recordings of the Cello Suites on viola da spalla for Accent? The viola da spalla is a very interesting instrument and resembles a very large viola. It doesn't possess the full tonal range of the cello but, in the hands of the right musician, its lighter, more lithe textures are rewarding in their own way. There's a good video on Youtube of Kujiken performing selections from the First Suite. I've heard Dmitry Badiarov's recording on Ramee which is very recommendable. Apparently, Badiarov is Kujiken's preferred luthier and he is a very fine musician in his own right.>

Thank you. I have heard Kuijken playing the viola da spalla live in some Vivaldi concertos, but I didn´t buy the Bach because I don´t think the instrument can really add much to what we already have. For an alternative to the cello I would opt for the viola de gamba, and Paolo Pandolfo has recorded a superb set of the suites for Glossa.
But do try the Sonatas & Partitas. The sheer UNDERSTANDING of this man of what they are all about is really something to treasure.

Just make sure you buy the second recording pictured above, not the first, which is still available.




Another interesting recording that demands attention is the Francois Fernandez version in the small Flora label. Fernandez is one of the most experienced baroque violinists around, and has played with Kuijken´s La Petite Bande, the Ricercar Consort and now is concertmaster of Les Agremens. He is a superb artist and his playing of the Sonatas & Partitas may be the most rigorous "historical" of all according to a good friend of mine who plays the baroque violin. The Kuijken or the Beyer are more tonally pleasing of course, but there´s no denying the great things that Fernandez does with these works.

[mcq]

My respect and admiration for Paolo Pandofo knows no bounds, Jose.  He really is the poet of the viola da gamba.   His discography may not be as large as Jordi Savall's, but the quality of his penetrating insights on his chosen repertoire (I would also single out here the Bach viola da gamba suites as well as his revelatory performances of works by Carl Friedrich Abel) as being of commensurate significance.  The recordings of the Cello Suites are benchmark performances, in my opinion.  The lighter timbre of the viola da gamba is exploited beautifully in Pandolfo's readings.  Grace, elegance and refinement are coupled beautifully with a profound thoughtfulness which informs his reading of all six Suites.  As in all of his recordings, Pandolfo exhibits a calm reserve in his playing and in his emotional outlook on the music. The impression I get when I hear Pandolfo  play is of someone who has left technical mastery far behind him, and, indeed, views virtuosity as a mere stepping stone to higher things.  A mind unimpeded by the technical challenges of the piece at hand relishes the freedom to engage at length with the spiritual implications of the music.  There are fewer musical experiences more profoundly rewarding than sitting down and absorbing this master's insights into this great music in a single listening session.  An overall lightness of touch informs his playing, married to a natural instinct for gently expressive phrasing.  Generally speaking, I resist the concept of interpretive ideals and I prefer to learn about a piece through the collective insights of a number of different interpreters rather than through the restrictive prism of a single interpretation but there remains something about Pandolfo's approach to this music that strikes me as uniquely rewarding in a way that few of his cello-playing contemporaries can match.  The past ten years have seen benchmark readings of the Suites from cellists Anne Gastinel , Jean-Guihen Queyras and Ophelie Gaillard (among others) but it is a shame that, to the best of my knowledge, Pandolfo has not inspired his fellow gambists to follow his lead.  I believe that Hille Perl has recorded the Fifth Suite for DHM, but it is surprising that Jordi Savall has not investigated the Cello Suites thus far in his illustrious career.

Many thanks for the recommendation of the Fernandez recording on the Flora label. I have not heard of the player or the label but, thankfully, it is much easier to track down these CDs than it used to be.

[mcq]

One other recording I've returned to repeatedly over recent years is Mira Glodeanu's recital for Ambronay comprising solo violin repertoire of the German baroque.  She performs Bach's second Partita, and his first Sonata, as well as Biber's Passacaglia from his Rosary Sonatas, and also Pisendel's Sonata  and Westhoff's Fourth Solo Violin Suite.  She doesn't appear to record on a regular basis but she is a very experienced concertmaster of some of the most renowned European period ensembles and has worked with Philippe Herreweghe, William Christie, Christophe Rousset and Sigiswald Kujiken (among others).  Unlike many of her contemporaries, she utilises an original Baroque violin and bow rather than modern copies.  The performances are excellent, genuinely penetrating and fearfully  intense.  The performances of the Bach and Biber are so successful that I'm very surprised that she hasn't recorded more solo repertoire by these composers.  I am very tempted by her recording of the Bach Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord (with Frederik Haas, whose recordings of Couperin for Alpha have impressed me greatly).  

[fergus]

[Jose Echenique]

My respect and admiration for Paolo Pandofo knows no bounds, Jose.  He really is the poet of the viola da gamba.   His discography may not be as large as Jordi Savall's, but the quality of his penetrating insights on his chosen repertoire (I would also single out here the Bach viola da gamba suites as well as his revelatory performances of works by Carl Friedrich Abel) as being of commensurate significance.  The recordings of the Cello Suites are benchmark performances, in my opinion.  The lighter timbre of the viola da gamba is exploited beautifully in Pandolfo's readings.  Grace, elegance and refinement are coupled beautifully with a profound thoughtfulness which informs his reading of all six Suites.  As in all of his recordings, Pandolfo exhibits a calm reserve in his playing and in his emotional outlook on the music. The impression I get when I hear Pandolfo  play is of someone who has left technical mastery far behind him, and, indeed, views virtuosity as a mere stepping stone to higher things.  A mind unimpeded by the technical challenges of the piece at hand relishes the freedom to engage at length with the spiritual implications of the music.  There are fewer musical experiences more profoundly rewarding than sitting down and absorbing this master's insights into this great music in a single listening session.  An overall lightness of touch informs his playing, married to a natural instinct for gently expressive phrasing.  Generally speaking, I resist the concept of interpretive ideals and I prefer to learn about a piece through the collective insights of a number of different interpreters rather than through the restrictive prism of a single interpretation but there remains something about Pandolfo's approach to this music that strikes me as uniquely rewarding in a way that few of his cello-playing contemporaries can match.  The past ten years have seen benchmark readings of the Suites from cellists Anne Gastinel , Jean-Guihen Queyras and Ophelie Gaillard (among others) but it is a shame that, to the best of my knowledge, Pandolfo has not inspired his fellow gambists to follow his lead.  I believe that Hille Perl has recorded the Fifth Suite for DHM, but it is surprising that Jordi Savall has not investigated the Cello Suites thus far in his illustrious career.

Many thanks for the recommendation of the Fernandez recording on the Flora label. I have not heard of the player or the label but, thankfully, it is much easier to track down these CDs than it used to be.

I´m also a die hard Pandolfo fan, I absolutely love everything he has recorded.
As for the Bach Cello Suites I have to say that I hold the Archiv 1962 Pierre Fournier cycle close to my heart. Not only I learned the works in his recording, but I actually heard him play the cycle in 2 consecutive evenings in 1977, when he was 71 years old. His technique was fallible by then, but my God, what an artist!!!!
In the modern cello I also think Heinrich Schiff very good, but the 2 recordings I invariably turn to are on the period cello: the second Anner Bylsma in SONY and the second Pieter Wispelwey in Channel Classics (he has just recorded a 3rd cycle for a different label but I haven´t hear it yet)