Bach: Six Cello Suites -
There are many ways of playing Bach--the austere and the mathematical or the deliberately
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simple have dominated in recent years--in an attempt to recapture the style of the unknown soloist for whom he wrote these peculiarly beautiful works. Mischa Maisky's second recording, based on years of study of the scores, opts for a more passionate, almost romantic approach--this is a Bach all about expression and dance and the gestures here are big gestures. Maisky's commitment to his reading is absolute and carries real conviction--he plays the suites as the work of a musician of incomparable gifts, not a machine or a demigod. Even those who prefer a more intellectualised Bach will have to accept his earthy approach as a possible reading. Maisky's edition of the suites is included on a CD-ROM along with articles on artist, composer and works and a facility which allows the listener to follow the scores as they are played, or even play along... --Roz Kaveney
Bach - Solo Cello Suites -
Though they were long misunderstood as mere technical hurdles, Bach's Six Suites for
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unaccompanied cello are among those rare works of music that offer inexhaustible rewards for performer and listener alike. Yo-Yo Ma gave a pathbreaking account of the Suites back in the 1980s, but returns to them here impelled by a unique and interdisciplinary approach. For this project, Ma engaged the talents of artists in different fields--ranging from a landscape artist to a Kabuki actor and figure skaters--to produce six short films as a visual correlative for the highly distinctive character of each Suite. While the success of the films in illuminating Bach's creativity is decidedly uneven, Ma brings the music itself to life with a searing, quasi-vocal eloquence. His interpretations are probing, characterised by imaginative bowing and attention to the spacious architecture of Bach's score. This is especially clear in Ma's preference for broad, expansive tempos and patient spinning of filigreed detail. True, the generally Romantic cast of his conception can seem overdone and exaggerated in statement, as if Ma is more intent on overlaying his own personality on the discipline of the music. But the prayerful, meditative concentration he brings to the Sarabandes--listen to the single-lined, anguished tone painting in Suite 5--is utterly convincing. There is a sense of profound introspection here, while in the Sarabande of Suite 6 Ma's phrasing suggests we are in the same spiritual terrain as Beethoven's late quartets. Yet there is no lack of blistering energy and extroverted high spirits in some of the more overtly dance-oriented movements. While purists may complain of distortion in these accounts, Ma once again proves he has something vital to say with this music. --Thomas May
Advantages: to add great music in to your collection Disadvantages: None
...Steven Isserlis is an outstanding cellist. When you listen his playing alive, which I did, you can see how he captures you with his playing. I am a professional viola player for twenty years. I have listened many recordings of Bachcellosuites from Rostropovich to Peter Bruns. Isserlis plays the suits in a way that you can find something different in his interpretation. Specially the 6th suit. That suit is very difficult to play actually. You should listen and hear it yourself how it flows. I have to also add the price is actually not that expensive. Because you are going to have the six suits which are usually come in two cds and plus interesting piece again by Bach , Cant del Ocells, ( Song of the Birds'). I highly recommend the cd who are interested in solo cello music, Bach or classical music....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Highly burnished, engaging, musically intelligent and emotionally mature playing; beautiful tone is never saccharine. Disadvantages: Nil.
...and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, does justice to all the Elgar pieces here. I can reassure devotees of the du Pré recording of Elgar's Cello Concerto that Ms Clein's vibrant reading will not disappoint at all, and warmly recommend it as a welcome addition to their library.
Although this isn't Ms Clein's first CD release, it might be her most impressive, if only for the unqualified success she's gained with the Cello Concerto. While I expect to explore more of her CDs, labels like 'The Romantic Cello' do not exactly entice this listener to rush out to snap up a copy.
Right now, I'm hoping really hard that a recording of J. S. Bach's cello sonatas is in the offing. As for the album under present review, it's one that will please all comers. That's five glowing stars for a job well done.
Extra: See a music video...
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...I sallute to Bach.
Bach can be very romantic, calm or even agitated (sometimes agressive) in his compositions. I like most of his composition especially his piano work. In his fourty eight Preludes and Fugues, if you played them all, you can experience a mixture of emotions that he has implanted in this particular set of work. I like to play Bach's Preludes and Fugues when I feel very down, very angry even when I am very happy. I will definitely find a piece that suit my emotion and mood, and feel much more better after playing them. Some of my...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
somewhat helpful 07.08.2000
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