Bach, C P E: Cello Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Wq 171

“Bravura and affectionately voiced sensibility are the hallmarks of CPE Bach in these three concertos from the mid 18th century. The former quality is emphatically conveyed by Truls Mørk and Les Violons du Roy, even to the point of brusqueness...but the music is delivered with confidence and polish.” The Telegraph, 11th March 2011 ***

“this pair of concerto recordings show him as a mature, thoughtful and not always eccentric master. Truls Mørk's lyric but forceful playing of the cello works is ideal; the sound of Bernard Labadie's band is plangent...Here, the surprises come thick and fast and the twists and turns are gripping.” The Observer, 13th April 2011

“Truls Mørk is a most eloquent player of these three technically and expressively demanding concertos...CPE Bach uses none of his father's contrapuntal ingenuity, and orchestra and soloist exchange motifs in an orderly, quite Classical manner. The composer's passion is evident - sky-rocketing themes, fast tremolo strings...a most enjoyable and polished disc.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2011 ****

“Stylistic mastery aside, these interpretations stand out for the sheer sense of pleasure-filled musical adventure, not to mention a sublime performance from Mørk...The interpretations abound with verve, depth, and beauty. They also zing with the excitement contemporary musicians must have felt as they discovered the cello's soloist potential.” Classic FM Magazine, June 2011 ****

“These are exceptional performances in every way, dazzlingly played and recorded, yet at the same time fully alive to the performing conventions of the period, even though modern instruments are employed throughout...Ultimately, Mørk plays these attractive pieces with exemplary flair and panache, bringing lyrical insights to each of the affecting slow movements. Virgin's recording is superb, too. Unhesitatingly recommended.” International Record Review, July 2011

“For the composer's learned and elegant style to Mørk and Les Violons du Roy's well-balanced performances, this recording oozes refinement - but it's the sumptuous middle movements that really stand out...The solo cello parts are aria-like, something Mørk accentuates in his delivery, and his own cadenzas in both the A and B flat major concertos are suitably virtuosic and perfectly stylistic.” Muso Magazine, April/May2011 ****/*****

“Why is it that cellists who bemoan their lack of concerto repertory continue to neglect CPE Bach's three essays in the genre? It's a mystery; they're excellent pieces, full of infectious nervous energy in their outer movements and tender lyricism in central ones. They aren't unknown to the recording catalogues, however, not least because they also exist in alternative versions which the composer made for flute and harpsichord.
Though there are times when the low-lying cello has difficulty making itself heard against the orchestra, Suzuki makes light of the matter with performances whose agility, lightness and textural clarity make those of Bylsma and the largersounding Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment sound heavy-handed. But while Suzuki – thanks to a generally thinner sound – is the more successful in the way he transmits the surface excitement and energy of the quick movements, he can't match Bylsma's vocal inspiration in the eloquent poetry of the slow movement. Suzuki's, nevertheless, are refreshing, enlivening performances of attractive and substantial music.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“These works show their fine composer at his most inventive. Hidemi Suzuki, who is soloist/director here, is another fine artist from this remarkably talented family, and he creates a dashing flow of energy in the orchestral ritornellos of outer movements; and the Bach Collegium play with great zest and commitment.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“…these performances are clean-lined and stylish. Wallfisch's cello… has a pleasingly light and singing tone, to which is added a depth and a dynamic range that may well be beyond most period instruments, and which is used to good expressive effect in those slow movements...” Gramophone Magazine, December 2009

“This delightful disc vividly reveals the mercurial characer of CPE Bach...Wallfisch is particularly alluring in the opening movement of Wq171, characterised by calm persuasive rhetoric rather than forceful passion.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2010 *****

“Timothy Hugh's bow dances in the flanking movements and is matched by those of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, alert to every nuance and disposed to throw their weight around only as much as is fitting. However, it's the slow movements that are the heart of these works.
All are tinged with sadness, but none more than the Largo of the A major Concerto, where Hugh's abated vibrato, attenuated lines and resistance to the excessive squeezing of appoggiaturas express a sadness that's held within, not spilt in salt tears.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Hugh's bow dances…and is matched by the Bournemouth Sinfonietta.” Gramophone Magazine

“[on Vivaldi & C. P. E. Bach] Rostropovich, however, does have the true measure of these works and plays to an appropriate scale with a beauty of tone unimaginable from a period instrument. His eloquence has a style of its own, beyond the usual constraints of period and convention. The lyrical slow movements are imbued with a wistfulness and intimacy reflecting a well-known side of his musical personality; the brooding rhetorical quality of the C.P.E. Bach Adagio is especially compelling’” Gramophone Magazine