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Celebrating his 50th birthday, this recording of Bach’s Complete Cello Suites is Pieter Wispelwey’s third recording of the repertoire, but probably his most controversial!
Based on extensive research by Laurence Dreyfus and John Butt (from the Dunedin Consort), Pieter tuned his strings down to a pitch of 392 for this recording, and the resulting sound is a very rich, sonorous experience. His cello also has gut strings for this recording and is played with a short bow.
The suites are set out on disc in a chronological order, so you can listen for yourself to see if you can hear the difference in pitch and whether you prefer this recording over his others!
Beautifully packaged in a slim box set, the recording contains a double disc of the Bach Suites and also a bonus DVD where Pieter talks about the recording. Priced as a mid price double, this recording will be a must have for all fans of Bach.
Bach, J S: Suite No. 1 In G Major BWV 1007
I. Prelude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Menuet I And II
VI. Gigue
Bach, J S: Suite No. 2 In D Minor BWV 1008
I. Prelude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Menuet I And II
VI. Gigue
Bach, J S: Suite No. 3 In C Major BWV 1009
I. Prelude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Bourrée I And II
VI. Gigue
Bach, J S: Suite No. 4 In E Flat Major BWV 1010
I. Prelude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Bourrée I And II
VI. Gigue
Bach, J S: Suite No. 5 In C Minor BWV 1011
I. Prelude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Gavotte I And II
VI. Gigue
Bach, J S: Suite No. 6 In D Major (A Cinq Cordes) BWV 1012
I. Prelude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Gavotte I And II
VI. Gigue
Christmas 2012
****
“Of my three dozen discs, and innumnerable performance I've heard live of Bach's Cello Suites, none is as challenging as this...[Wispelwey] adopts the pitch used at Cothen where Bach wrote the Suites...The effect, beautifully recorded here, is very striking; Wispelwey describes it as 'relaxed', 'rustic' and 'raw'...Love it or hate it, this is a ground-breaking 'must-buy' for every cellist and Bach-lover.”
Early Music Review
“this is a must-have set. And for so many reasons!”
December 2012
“[the DVD is] an insightful bonus. The Dutch cellist is charming and articulate, and his views on the works are well supported...[the tuning] facilitates many stylistic aspects of his performance but inevitably results in a softer-edged, mellow tone - more viol-like - than normally associated with recordings of these works. He plays with deep affection and understanding. He experiments with Bach's musical rhetoric: some will find it over-phrased.”
7th October 2012
“These are by far the gruffest accounts of Bach’s iconic works for solo cello on disc...The sound is disconcerting — at times in the slow sarabandes, Wispelwey might be playing a transcription for double bass ... A must-hear for ultra-authentic Bachians”
The Arts Desk
19th January 2013
“The playing is exquisite, and the combination of a warm, close-up recording and Wispelwey’s’s decision to tune his baroque cello to a lower pitch (A=392) gives the suites an appealing, earthy gruffness...This is the best "making-of" DVD I’ve seen – scholarly, entertaining and visually appealing.”
12th October 2012
*****
“these are really extraordinary [performances]. Wispelwey uses a Baroque cello with the strings tuned down a whole tone. It gives a deep grainy sound, but counteracting that is the fabulous springy liveliness of the playing...Like a master rhetorician, he fills Bach’s even procession of notes with meaningful pauses, emphatic emphases, pleading diminuendos, changes of tone.”
Click here for alternative recordings of this work.
I. Prelude
