# Bach Cello Suites



## kairos (11 mo ago)

Hello, I am new here and looking forward to these discussions. I love the Bach Cello Suites but at this time I only have them on CD by Mstislav Rostropovich. I love his playing very much, but just wondering what favorite cellist do others recommend for the Suites?


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Casals, Starker and Fournier on modern instruments; Bylsma for an interesting historically-informed approach on a Baroque instrument. I love Rostropovich, but his recording of the cello suites (at least the one that I have) isn't really to my liking. The playing is terrific of course but it sounds a little too reverby, distant and overproduced to me.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

The word "interpretation" plays a major role in the performance of the Bach Cello Suites, which arguably prove some of the most sublime music ever written. Bach provides few clues in his music (in comparison to later Romantic and Modern, especially, composers) concerning tempos, dynamics, staccatos and rubatos and all that other stuff that guides interpretation, and so performers have a lot of decisions to make. Which, I suggest, is a good thing. It does lead, inevitably, however, to a wide range of concepts that arise during the performance of the cello suites, which explains why each recording is somewhat of a contrast to every other recording, allowing for favorites and I-don't-likes, often from movement to movement or suite to suite. The best one can do is to explore a number of these recordings and attempt to settle into a performance interpretation that pleases, whether it is critically acclaimed or not.

There is a lot to choose from. Some of the good ol' recordings of the past are marred by sound production, while some of the great sounding ones of recent years are simply bland as performances. The good thing is that the music is so good to begin with that it's almost impossible to really ruin a Bach work (at least if the performer has any competence on his/her instrument at all) and thus the route of exploring various recordings is never a waste of time. Did I mention the music is sublime?

Chances are if you stick to top billing performers (rather than chance lesser known names) you'll hear a number of great performances, some to your immediate liking, some less so. I am one of those who loves to explore lesser knowns. Recently I heard the recording of the Suites by Michael Kevin Jones on the EMEC DISCOS label, and I enjoyed the performances greatly.









Jones plays these on a 1667 Antonio Stradivarius cello. The recordings, from October 2002, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Kirtington Park Room, are well produced and vivid. The playing is superb, and the instrument has a heavenly sound. I have at least a dozen copies of the Cello Suites in my collection, including most of the "highly critically praised" ones, but if I had to live with only the EMEC E-056/7 discs as performed by Michael Kevin Jones, I would not be disappointed.

I will offer one other version, new and must hear. I could also live with only this one.









Zuill Bailey performing the Bach Cello Suites on Octave Records. Get this if you can. The SACD discs are to die for.

And you'll also notice it is different (in that unique interpretive way) from the Jones version mentioned above. How to choose? How to choose!?

So, best wishes on your own personal journey through these works. There are a lot of ways to spend time less profitably, and perhaps not so many ways to spend it better!


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Casals and Fournier


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I tend to go for some of the more recent recordings and/or PI:

Jean-Guihen Queryras
Pieter Wispelwey (most recent)
Arnau Tomas
Truls Mørk
Yo-Yo Ma (3rd, "Evolutions")
Alisa Weilerstein
Thomas Demenga
Mario Brunello
Weiland Kuijken
Bruno Cocset
Sergey Malov
Maja Weber
Paolo Beschi
Istvan Vardai
Suren Bagratuni
Sebastian Klinger
André Larent O'Neil


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

For a marvelous "recent" recording.....


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

I have over 30 recordings of the Cello Suites, and love many of them. My absolute favorite cellist in these magnificent works is Pieter Wispelwey. He recorded the Suites three times, and all are fine recordings. My favorite of the three is the most recent recording. I was also lucky enough to hear him play them live a few years ago.










Other great recordings include those by *Anner Bylsma, Mischa Maisky, Jian Wang, Boris Pergamenschikow and Alisa Weilerstein's *recent recording (illustrated above).

I never particularly liked Rostropovich's recording, finding him paradoxically unemotional. I was also less than impressed by Yo Yo Ma's earlier recordings although his most recent is OK (but not great).


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

SONNET CLV said:


> Zuill Bailey performing the Bach Cello Suites on Octave Records. Get this if you can. The SACD discs are to die for.


Yes they are.


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

SanAntone said:


> I tend to go for some of the more recent recordings and/or PI:
> 
> Yo-Yo Ma (3rd, "Evolutions")


another selection I can whole heartedly endorse


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

My favorites are Beschi, Fournier, Cocset, and Yo-Yo Ma (all three sets).

I find Rostropovich and Maisky too romantic for my tastes, and I'm just not on Wispelwey's wavelength.


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

Paul Tortelier, Maurice Gendron and Enrico Mainardi have not been mentioned yet. But my top pick would be either Fournier or Starker.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Since Casals about 300 sets of cello suites have been made, and more than 100 of these are available to day, even if one has to search dilligently to find some of them, so there is much to choose from. I have heard quite a lot of them, and only a few of them were - what I would call - unsuccesful, but of course my taste also plays a role. 

Like Bulldog I find Rostropovich and Maisky too romantic, and this also true of Shafran, Zagorinsky and Vectomov. If there is anything I avoid in these works, it is overdone vibrato.

SanAntone's recommendations are all safe choices, except that I find Weilerstein a bit pretentious and contrieved (the same applies more or less to Emmanuelle Bertrand), and I don't warm to Thomas Demenga.

I'll add Lucia Swarts, Marko Ylönen, Kivie Cahn-Lipman, David Geringas, Colin Carr, Frans Helmerson, Heinrich Schiff, Ralph Kirshbaum, Christoph Stradner, Enrico Dindo and my two countrymen Toke Møldrup and Morten Zeuthen. Also Dmitri Badiarov and Ryo Terakado on violoncello da spalla and Paolo Pandolfo an viola da gamba. And one must have heard Casals at least once. But I could go on for an hour more.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

premont said:


> Since Casals about 300 sets of cello suites have been made, and more than 100 of these are available to day, even if one has to search dilligently to find some of them, so there is much to choose from. I have heard quite a lot of them, and only a few of them were - what I would call - unsuccesful, but of course my taste also plays a role.
> 
> Like Bulldog I find Rostropovich and Maisky too romantic, and this also true of Shafran, Zagorinsky and Vectomov. If there is anything I avoid in these works, it is overdone vibrato.
> 
> ...


Which *Colin Carr*: The live recording from 1998 or the more recent studio release from 2013? I am also glad to see you mention *Dmitri Badiarov*, *Ryo Terakado*, and *Paolo Pandolfo*. I knew about these but could not call them to mind when I posted.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Besides the great names that are named already, try this one:



It's for bargain price but the sound is outstanding.
( agree with the Zuill Bailey) I will add Alban Gerhardt and Truls Mørk.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

In my earlier post on this topic I mentioned the importance of exploring different versions of the Cello Suites in order to truly discern versions one will favor, for whatever reason.

There are all sorts of reasons for preferences one way or another. So called "purists" listen for one thing or another that often escapes a more "casual" listener, perhaps one not bothered by a touch or romanticism or excessive warmth or tempos that move ahead too quickly or too slowly or too too, whatever.

But exploring pays dividends, as does adventurism, especially when one finds an interpretation, a bit off the main road perhaps, that allows for a refreshing "rehearing" of works one thought one knew well enough. Such is the following recording:









Here, Edgar Meyer performs the unaccompanied Cello Suites 1, 2, and 5 on Double Bass. The recording was released some 20 years ago or so. I have had a copy in my collection for at least 20 years. I still recall my first hearing of these Suites played by Meyer on his biggest of fiddles. It was a disc I had in constant rotation on my CD deck for weeks. And one I revisit every so often, usually when I'm in the mood for something unusually wonderful and surprising and amazing. Meyer and his big deep fiddle never fail to please.

I won't rank the performances with the masterclass interpretations of the Bach Suites. But they are good. And they are satisfying. And ... you're likely not to forget them once you've heard them plays so expertly on the double bass.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

By coincidence I found this:

Your Bach Cello Suites recordings
Perhaps worth while reading .


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

SanAntone said:


> Which *Colin Carr*: The live recording from 1998 or the more recent studio release from 2013?


Both. None of them will disappoint you.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Olias said:


> For a marvelous "recent" recording.....
> 
> View attachment 164036


Just to indicate how much personal taste enters into the matter, I attended a recital where she performed all six. I left before the end. On the other hand, I loved her performance of the Dvorak Cello Concerto (in concert with the NY Phil).

I only have a few, but I like Starker (Mercury), Fournier and Bylsma.


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## Agamenon (Apr 22, 2019)

Bylsma changed my perception of these suites.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Ugh, I hate these threads. Going to have to make room on my shelf now for Queyras. Maybe Weilerstein as well.

My top 2 remain Casals (seamless spontaneity) and Fournier (authoritative artistry), but these recent recordings sound as if the cello is right in your living room. Queyras in particular is a consummate artist whose 2007 recording deserves all its accolades. Weilerstein plays with warm tone and beautiful sensitivity. Wispelwey is different, more clipped. Not my favorite, but interesting.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Brahmsianhorn said:


> My top 2 remain Casals (seamless spontaneity)


In spite of the 30s recording technology, another big quality in the Casals that comes through for me is exuberance. He didn't have the shadow of hundreds of recordings of these works hanging over him the way cellists today do. He pretty much produced the shadow. I've never heard anything quite like this in any recording since, although Fournier comes close. It exudes joy, and reminds me in spots of Appalachian fiddling:


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

The Rostropovich seems unpopular here, but I listened to it just now and was reminded why I originally liked it. It’s kind of like a Klemperer version of the cello suites. He’s not interested in being interpretive or precious any way. It’s very elemental, and with his warm, deep tone casts quite a spell.

I remember I first played the Rosty while working at Tower Records in the 90s, and promptly bought it while selling away the Schiff, which had always left me a little cold.

.


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## Varick (Apr 30, 2014)

The cello suites are magnificent works of art. My 3 favorites are Fournier, Tortelier, & Starker. All great recordings. I believe Sonnet CLV's post brought some great clarity to this subject. Just a great piece to explore!

V


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## driv (12 mo ago)

My favourite remains Casals, I find his recording very beautiful and it has stuck with me.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

jegreenwood said:


> Just to indicate how much personal taste enters into the matter, I attended a recital where she [Alisa Weilerstin] performed all six. I left before the end.


I attended a similar performance in Boston a couple of years ago. I think that the recording is better than her live performance, probably because the recording process is a lot less physically and mentally demanding than trying t play for two-plus hours from memory. By the time she got to the sixth suite in performance, the effort required was pretty apparent.

I think that I've posted favorites in previous threads, but the ones I turn to most often these days are Queyras, Geringas (his third recoding), Wispelwey (his second and third recordings), Schiff, Kirshbaum, and Casals. But I have about thirty versions on the shelf for variety....


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

jegreenwood said:


> Just to indicate how much personal taste enters into the matter, I attended a recital where she performed all six. I left before the end. On the other hand, I loved her performance of the Dvorak Cello Concerto (in concert with the NY Phil).
> 
> I only have a few, but I like Starker (Mercury), Fournier and Bylsma.


I don't think these suites should be performed as a group. No more than one or two (separated by other works), IMO, should be programmed at a concert. I never listen to more than one or two in one sitting.

I don't listen to the old recordings. Each year there are probably a dozen new recordings, with SOTA sound and often using a period cello that I have plenty enough to listen to and rarely go back to earlier recordings.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

I fell in love with the Cello Suites with Tortelier's recording, but my "go-to" ones these days are Wispelwey's most recent and Jean-Guihen Queyras. That said, I like to hear other cellists' takes on these works, because there's always something worth listening out for.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

SanAntone said:


> I don't think these suites should be performed as a group. No more than one or two (separated by other works), IMO, should be programmed at a concert. I never listen to more than one or two in one sitting.


Agreed - they're just too rich to consume as one meal, so to speak.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Arguably they are made of two cycles -- 1007-9 and 10-12, the latter exploring further chordal writing, technique and scordatura. But my real reason for posting is to ask a couple of questions to the cello suite mavens here. First, what tradition do these suites belong to? Viol music? Or was there an existing repertoire of chordal solo cello music? 

And second, is there something intrinsically "cellistic" about this music? Something important lost when played on viol or on viola or bass?


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Gendron tended to be overshadowed in his era by Fournier, Tortelier, and Starker, but it is really quite a spell-binding set. He played with immaculate tone and an assertively musical personality.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Mandryka said:


> Arguably they are made of two cycles -- 1007-9 and 10-12, the latter exploring further chordal writing, technique and scordatura. But my real reason for posting is to ask a couple of questions to the cello suite mavens here. First, what tradition do these suites belong to? Viol music? Or was there an existing repertoire of chordal solo cello music?
> 
> And second, is there something intrinsically "cellistic" about this music? Something important lost when played on viol or on viola or bass?


There had been music for solo cello and violin before: Domenico Gabrielli for the cello and Heinrich Biber for the violin. Bach though...took it where it hadn't been.

I think the cello cycle is fairly consistent though and I don't see a clear dividing line between groups. I think it follows a kind of emotional arc as well. It does seem to be more or less progressive in difficulty. Isserlis has hypothesized (maybe fancifully, but in ways it makes sense) that the whole cycle is meant to depict the life of Christ:
"Perhaps I should admit here that I too have a 'theory' about the story behind the suites, as I wrote in the sleeve-notes for my recording. I believe that they represent the life of Christ, with the 5th Suite portraying the Crucifixion, the 6th the Resurrection. I have absolutely no evidence for this - it is really a feeling, not a theory, in fact; but I do find it an inspiring vision".


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

dissident said:


> There had been music for solo cello and violin before: Domenico Gabrielli for the cello and Heinrich Biber for the violin. Bach though...took it where it hadn't been.
> 
> I think the cello cycle is fairly consistent though and I don't see a clear dividing line between groups. It does seem to be more or less progressive in difficulty. Isserlis has hypothesized (maybe fancifully, but in ways it makes sense) that the whole cycle is meant to depict the life of Christ:
> "Perhaps I should admit here that I too have a 'theory' about the story behind the suites, as I wrote in the sleeve-notes for my recording. I believe that they represent the life of Christ, with the 5th Suite portraying the Crucifixion, the 6th the Resurrection. I have absolutely no evidence for this - it is really a feeling, not a theory, in fact; but I do find it an inspiring vision."


The solo violin music which influenced Bach is very fine I think, not Biber but Johann Paul Westhoff. I'd be keen to explore the cello music, especially if it's chordal, I know some of the music for solo viol.

What's the earliest manuscript with all six together? I mean, I don't expect you to do the research - but someone here may just know the answer!


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Mandryka said:


> What's the earliest manuscript with all six together? I mean, I don't expect you to do the research - but someone here may just know the answer!


 Unfortunately there's no manuscript of the cello suites from Bach himself. The earliest is probably Kellner's from about 1726.


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## AaronSF (Sep 5, 2021)

I'm happy to have all these recommendations and will listen to many of them.

I've been a long-time fan of Starker's deeply emotional readings of these pieces, but I'm open to newer interpretations.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I'd just like to add that these are my favorite works by Bach. They are so good!


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Has anyone read Isserlis' book on the cello suites? I'm curious if it is too simplistic or too technical or, as Goldlicks said, just right.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

It's a good book. Most of it is pretty non-technical, and even the technical parts are manageable. For the last part, though, in which Isserlis goes through each suite movement by movement, you will probably want to have a recording handy and go through it slowly.


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## Dirge (Apr 10, 2012)

:: *Pierre Fournier* [Archiv '60]




These uniquely catholic and well-rounded performances are marked by formal balance & integrity, rhetorical & narrative eloquence, unflagging focus & concentration, rich & deftly varied timbre, and a sort of noble/aristocratic intensity that motivates the music-making-all in a timeless style that has survived 60-plus years of scrutiny to remain a credible top recommendation despite the hundreds of recordings that have come since. The préludes are allowed a degree or two more freedom & flexibility than the dances, which are classically formal without stiltedness. A few of the movements are taken a bit slower than I might prefer, but none are distractingly slow, and there's a compelling and ever-present sense of purpose no matter the pace.

:: *Anner Bylsma* [RCA Seon '79]




Bylsma's highly parsed and somewhat brusque presentation of the music artfully brings out Bach's implied voices and harmonies to make them that much easier for the listener to infer. Bylsma does an admirable job of imparting a satisfying sense of flow and momentum to the proceedings considering how discrete and fragmented his phrasing is-inspired by Anna Magdalena's "discrete and fragmented" copy of the manuscript. It takes a fair bit of ingenuity to pull off such an interpretation and make the music coalesce, and this is in large part what makes these performances so interesting. Bylsma's extremely period-sounding period cello has a raw and unvarnished complexity about it, and it sounds a bit scratchy and wiry when under attack, but it's perversely fascinating and likable for all that; he uses a slightly smaller and somewhat less "characterful" five-string violoncello piccolo for the Sixth Suite.

:: *Erling Blöndal Bengtsson* [Danacord '84]




Like a Long Island Iced Tea, Bengtsson's playing goes down easy but turns out to be a hell of a lot more potent than expected. He gives strong, big-boned, confidence-inspiring accounts of the the suites delivered in a smooth and somewhat plainspoken (some will argue just plain "plain") lyrical manner-nothing fussy or prissy here. Rhythms are handled faithfully enough to maintain the integrity of the various dance forms but flexibly enough to stave off any sense of stiltedness and to provide a nice sense of well-sprungness. HIP zealots will condemn the long, smooth legato-ish lines, but the sovereign quality of the playing is hard to deny. Bengtsson may not be as overtly expressive as many/most cellists these days, choosing a path of dignified/noble restraint, but he's responsive to the moods/key colors of the different suites in a less-is-more sort of way that is satisfying in the long term. With an excellent-sounding cello and a first-class recording, this set will come as a relief to listeners tired of the indulgences and excesses of many of the trendier and more "expressive" sets. Others will find the accounts too plain to fully embrace.

:: *Heinrich Schiff* [EMI '84]




Schiff's sinewy lines and faintly wiry yet rich timbre distinguish his playing from pretty much everyone else's, and they facilitate a style that's Baroque in spirit yet Modern in sound and sensibility. In Schiff's hands, the préludes have a free fantasie feel about them that anticipates the free fantasies of Bach's sons; the fast dances are deftly pointed, articulate, and well-sprung within a faithful but flexible formal context, and the slow dances are well-tempered versions of the same with phrasing that's elegant and eloquent and deftly reflective of the mood at hand. Tempos range from moderate to brisk, never lingering, but the playing is so clean and proficient that it rarely strikes me as sounding too fast in context-the Prélude to the First Suite being the most conspicuous exception-and focus & concentration and tension are unflagging throughout. With an excellent-sounding cello and a natural-sounding recording, this is a compelling all-around set.

:: *Roel Dieltiens* [Accent '91] 



The slightly subdued dynamics of the playing and the warm and inviting (and slightly subdued) acoustics of the venue conspire to make it sounds as if Dieltiens is playing in the quiet solitude of his own home, so intimate and natural is the prevailing atmosphere of these recording sessions. If that suggests something introverted or relaxed (low in tension) or less than vital, however, that's not the case, as intent listening reveals a compelling focus/sense of purpose and inner intensity underlying the intimacy-it's all very insidiously accomplished and cumulative in effect, aided and abetted by Dieltiens's unassumingly rich tone and disarmingly natural and seductive phrasing. Rhythmic playing is subtly sophisticated, being flexible but always resiliently maintaining rhythmic/temporal integrity. On the downside, attacks tend to be gentler than ideal, and Dieltiens tends not to dig into the lower notes as profoundly as he might (though I get the sense that he's hamstrung in that respect by his old cellos, which sound as if they might over-resonate and buzz if played too forcefully in the nether frequencies). The top end is gently rolled off in addition, owing in part to Dieltiens's plaintive-sounding cellos and in part to the gentle acoustics. In compensation, Dieltiens coaxes some of the most beguiling midrange utterances imaginable from his cellos. This is the most personal and least generally recommendable of the sets cited here.

:: *Ralph Kirshbaum* [Virgin '93]




These hearty, good-natured performances are difficult not to like, as they're naturally paced with an engaging sense of ebb & flow, beautifully phrased in a lightly Romantic sort of way, and deftly characterized throughout, with Kirshbaum building and releasing tension with aplomb. His tone, too, is difficult not to like, being somewhat gruff yet rich and weighty, with a nicely burnished quality. He takes most if not all repeats and is fond of ornamentation; if his ornamentation is a trifle bit distracting every now and again, it's as likely to be a pleasant distraction as it is a tiny annoyance. His approach may not be ideally suited to the darker, more tensely dramatic movements, but even they come across well in context. Aided and abetted by an excellent-sounding cello and a natural-sounding recording, this is a set with understandably wide appeal. The set's detractors are mostly purists who complain that Kirshbaum mixes Baroque, Romantic, and Modern practices with impunity, which he does indeed do, but it's a complementary and musical mix to my ears.


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## GraemeG (Jun 30, 2009)

I have both the Fournier and Bylsma sets. Not felt the need to buy other - any of Ma's, nor Rostropovich, which he should really have recorded twenty years earlier than he did.

I heard Bylsma play the cycle live back in 1985 in Bach's 300th year. Nos 1, 4, 5 in the first concert (with an arranged Partita BWV1013) then Nos 2,3,6 a month later. Got him to autograph my program too. Much of those concerts sticks with me still, especially the 5th suite. He had the piccolo-cello for the 6th suite back then too.

A few years later in Spain I heard a chap called Lluis Claret play the cycle live, one consecutive nights in a church in Saragossa. This time it was 1,3,5, then 2,4,6.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

GraemeG said:


> I have both the Fournier and Bylsma sets. Not felt the need to buy other - any of Ma's, nor Rostropovich, which he should really have recorded twenty years earlier than he did.


Rostropovich did record them earlier - much earlier, in 1955:









I don't think that it changes my rather negative view of Rostropovich's Bach...


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

> The set's detractors are mostly purists who complain that Kirshbaum mixes Baroque, Romantic, and Modern practices with impunity, which he does indeed do, but it's a complementary and musical mix to my ears.


The other issue with this recording is that there are some extramusical contributions by Kirshbaum, mostly audible breathing. It doesn't bother me at all - this is one of my favorite sets - but I feel obliged to point it out.

Glad to see that Dirge mentioned Bengtsson, an excellent cellist who deserves to be better known.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

wkasimer said:


> Rostropovich did record them earlier - much earlier, in 1955:
> 
> View attachment 164595
> 
> ...


This was a live recording, so it may be more apt to say, that he was recorded, than that he did record.

https://www.supraphon.com/album/142-bach-cello-suites-complete-russian-masters


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Manxfeeder said:


> Has anyone read Isserlis' book on the cello suites? I'm curious if it is too simplistic or too technical or, as Goldlicks said, just right.
> 
> View attachment 164391


Have this book which I feel has given me a good insight into the suites. Being a non-musician, it has helped me by describing what to listen for. Yes a very good book.

Incidentally had my copy autographed recently after his recital. Will treasure that.


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## Bruckner Anton (Mar 10, 2016)

Gendron's recording on Philips is my favorite. He creates rich, precise and clean sound throughout the recording, and keeps an excellent balance between the overall structure of the pieces and the subtle changes of tempos and timbres. He generally plays a bit faster than fournier (archiv) and tortellier (emi).


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## OCEANE (10 mo ago)

AaronSF said:


> I'm happy to have all these recommendations and will listen to many of them.
> 
> I've been a long-time fan of Starker's deeply emotional readings of these pieces, but I'm open to newer interpretations.











Me too, I started to listen to and love this work through Starker's recording many years ago and now I have some other favorite versions, Fourier is top one.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

My only recordings are Yo Yo, and I’m not going to chuck them out, but I’ve recently started listening to Casals on Pristine Audio and its like the proverbial scrubbing of varnish from an old canvas


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Manxfeeder said:


> Has anyone read Isserlis' book on the cello suites? I'm curious if it is too simplistic or too technical or, as Goldlicks said, just right.
> 
> View attachment 164391


I am sure there is a lot of good information about the suites, but I am not a fan of his writing style. He constantly offers conversational asides which could be left out and improve the read.


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## cwarchc (Apr 28, 2012)

The thing here is that there are many different interpretations
Explore them, enjoy them at your pleasure
I certainly do
Some you will like better than others, it's a personal choice


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Triplets said:


> My only recordings are Yo Yo, and I'm not going to chuck them out, but I've recently started listening to Casals on Pristine Audio and its like the proverbial scrubbing of varnish from an old canvas


The Casals discs may not be up to modern recording technology...but I would say all who have recorded these works since have listened to them and been influenced by them, regardless of HIP or modern instruments. And it shows.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

dissident said:


> And it shows.


How does it show?


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Mandryka said:


> How does it show?


Phrasing, tempo, stretching and jumping vs audible sliding on the same string to carry a melodic line. Casals really revolutionized technique in a way.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Thanks, I'll listen out for these things next time I'm exploring the music.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Another avenue of Casals influence may be the performing/analytical edition of the suites by Diran Alexanian from the late 1920s. Alexanian was an associate of Casals and his edition may be the closest thing we have to a Casals edition, since they shared a lot of the same technical ideas. I'd say most advanced cellists have studied it, especially those born before 1990 or so. I'm not an advanced cellist (yet) but I have a copy and it's helpful, though it does take some liberties with the original manuscripts.


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## Monica (10 mo ago)

My favorite recording of the Cello Suites would be Maria Kliegel.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

SanAntone said:


> Sergey Malov


Glad to hear that someone else enjoys this one, which Malov plays on a "shoulder cello" (violoncello da spalla). He favors brisk tempi and omits a lot of the repeats (and when he observes repeats, he ornaments tastefully), which explains why he's able to fit all six suites on a single CD with plenty of room to spare.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

wkasimer said:


> Glad to hear that someone else enjoys this one, which Malov plays on a "shoulder cello" (violoncello da spalla). He favors brisk tempi and omits a lot of the repeats (and when he observes repeats, he ornaments tastefully), which explains why he's able to fit all six suites on a single CD with plenty of room to spare.
> 
> View attachment 164911


I think he omits almost all repeats in this recording. However a few years ago he recorded suites 1, 2 and 6 for Pan Classics doing all the repeats. Except for suite 6 his playing is better and more committed in the recording without the repeats, but its truncated almost fragmentary nature can't be ignored. The repeats were of course indicated because they were meant to be done.


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## Fredrikalansson (Jan 29, 2019)

One recording not mentioned (I think) is David Watkin on a baroque cello on the Resonus label. It doesn't disturb the supremacy of Casals, Tortelier, Navarra and Fournier, but it's transcendent: like listening to the music for the first time. A million miles away from the heavy handed indulgences of Maisky and Rostropovich.


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## suecello (Oct 27, 2017)

Steven Isserlis! And if you're a real Bach Suites afficianado, read his book on them published in early 2022.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

suecello said:


> Steven Isserlis! And if you're a real Bach Suites afficianado, read his book on them published in early 2022.


I really like Isserlis. One of these days I'm going to have the guts to try gut strings on my cello (har har). Maybe Eudoxas.


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## Ludwig Schon (10 mo ago)

Fredrikalansson said:


> One recording not mentioned (I think) is David Watkin on a baroque cello on the Resonus label. It doesn't disturb the supremacy of Casals, Tortelier, Navarra and Fournier, but it's transcendent: like listening to the music for the first time. A million miles away from the heavy handed indulgences of Maisky and Rostropovich.


Anyone who espouses Casals is either a pseud - who knows nothing about classical music - or is incontrovertibly deaf. It’s like an extended advert for Rice Krispies…

Watkin is both too fast and thin/reedy. Queyras is the best modern interpreter, but he lacks the colour palette of the still wondrous Fournier…


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Ludwig Schon said:


> Anyone who espouses Casals is either a pseud - who knows nothing about classical music - or is incontrovertibly deaf. ...


That would probably include most cellists since.


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## Ludwig Schon (10 mo ago)

dissident said:


> That would probably include most cellists since.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Ludwig Schon said:


> View attachment 168475


The copy I have isn't all that bad actually.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

premont said:


> I think he omits almost all repeats in this recording. However a few years ago he recorded suites 1, 2 and 6 for Pan Classics doing all the repeats. Except for suite 6 his playing is better and more committed in the recording without the repeats, but its truncated almost fragmentary nature can't be ignored. The repeats were of course indicated because they were meant to be done.


I take your point, but hearing these suites played on the Baroque shoulder cello is worthwhile nonetheless. Also, Malov explained why he chose to not take the repeats, seeking to create an overall unity in the work by truncating the length. You may reject his reasoning, but his interpretive decision was not slipshod.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

He says


_In this recording I consciously have skipped the repeats in order to preserve the clarity of the form and wishing to embrace the entire cycle of the Suites as one great story._

The form he’s talking about isn’t a form within a movement, neither is it the form of a whole suite. It’s the unspecified form of the set of six suites, which he thinks makes one single story - a complex and contentious claim he asserts with no justification.

Is it really one story? And if yes, how does playing the repeats make that less clear?


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Mandryka said:


> The form he’s talking about isn’t a form within a movement, neither is it the form of a whole suite. It’s the unspecified form of the set of six suites


I was unclear in my previous post, but understood that to be his meaning, i.e. unity across all six suites. He probably thinks, and I agree, that when all the repeats as are taken it makes a performance of all six suites too long for the unity he is striving for to be felt.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Mandryka said:


> He says
> 
> 
> _In this recording I consciously have skipped the repeats in order to preserve the clarity of the form and wishing to embrace the entire cycle of the Suites as one great story._
> ...


I don’t think any “justification” is necessary beyond the fact that he hears them that way. It’s an interpretation. If you don’t like it, that’s fine - move on.

By the way, Tetzlaff has said roughly the same thing about the Sonatas and Partitas. I saw him perform all six in a same-day, two-part recital and I can understand what he means.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

This discussion remind me of Bruno Philippe's comments in the booklet to his sprit new recording:

"It’s March 2020 and the world is ‘going into lockdown’ for the first time. No more concerts, no more travel, an empty calendar until further notice . . . What to do with all this free time that has appeared so suddenly? The answer is almost self-evident. I decide to get to closer grips with Johann Sebastian Bach and his Solo Cello Suites. I have been playing and practising these six suites ever since I was a boy. But this time, I want to go further. I have only studied the manuscript of Anna Magdalena Bach up to this point, but now I explore others, especially the Kellner MS. I’m fascinated by what I find there: possible answers to some of my questions about tempo and articulation. Until now I’ve used metal strings. But over the past few years I’ve been learning to play on gut strings with Thomas Dunford’s Baroque ensemble Jupiter. Thomas, an inspired lutenist, and Jean Rondeau, a magnificent harpsichordist, have welcomed me into their continuo team with open arms, and I couldn’t have hoped for better company in which to learn the Baroque repertory. A new world has opened up for me: the tactus, the way a Baroque bow reacts to gut strings while revealing a bewilderingly natural flow . . . Having never tried to perform the Bach Suites in this way, I decide to take the plunge. The first few days are tough going: I almost have to relearn how to play Bach, to erase the reflexes I’ve picked using my usual bow and strings. A lot of things change: mainly the tempi, but also the relationship to bounces, to strong and weak beats in the dance movements, or the density of the harmonic spectra when I play chords, for example. I’m exploring new sensations. Here we are in March, and the prospect of immersing myself totally in this music, and only this music, may never occur again! So I call Christian Girardin, director of harmonia mundi, and suggest that we record the Suites as soon as the lockdown is over. He agrees. I am so happy and so honoured by the trust placed in me. July 2020: the recording begins. This is the first time I’ve recorded alone. It’s quite a dizzying experience to be by myself in front of the microphones, very different from what I’ve been used to until now. This solitary exercise soon turns into a duo with Alban Moraud as sound engineer and recording producer. The order in which the Suites will be recorded still remains to be decided. A practical order? The most difficult ones first? No, rather a choice based on affinity: 5, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1.
*By virtue of their key scheme, the Suites can be likened to a human being’s journey through life: 
1 G major: birth. 
2 D minor: experience.
3 C major: life. 
4 E flat major: spirituality. 
5 C minor: death. 
6 D major: resurrection. *
I decide to start with the subject I feel I know best: death (as a spectator, I assure you!). I feel close to the way Bach represents it with his ‘French style’, overdotted and distanced. Death to start with, but, above all, birth to finish with. I recently became a father. My little Héloïse, born on 26 April 2020, accompanied me during a large part of this project. I am so proud and happy to be able to offer her this recording! Her arrival has totally changed my life, but also my interpretative options. After all, a birth is like a fireworks display! To the calm and ingenuousness I once imagined in the prelude to the First Suite in G major, for example, is added the urgency of presenting oneself to the world, of discovering everything and already of questioning oneself! Many magnificent recordings of these Suites already exist, so why record them again? To do what others have done? Or the exact opposite? Certainly not. I am convinced that honesty and faith in one’s ideas can result in a form of individuality. Which means there are as many possible interpretations as there are cellists ready to serve this music. Hence these sessions in front of the microphones were a necessary step in honing my convictions and enabling me to appropriate the most sublime pages ever written for my instrument. Finally, we come to the post-production stage. We listen to all the takes again, we get lost, we’re sometimes tempted to give up . . . Now that the recording is in your hands, I can tell you: I have never been faced with such a difficult undertaking in my life! I’ve put so much into it, in terms of both craftsmanship and affect, that it’s quite a daunting feeling to let go of it and allow it to reach your ears . . . Of all my recordings, this is probably the one where I present myself most intimately: it contains my strengths, my weaknesses and my imperfections. I have put everything I have into it. Es ist vollbracht." BRUNO PHILIPPE

This is one possible way of considering the six suites a cycle and not six individual works. However I don't understand why repeats can't be done all the same and how this interferes with the cyclic approach. Philippe does all the repeats.

And if one feels the need to hear a violoncello da spalla, there are three recordings with all the repeats done (Kuijken, Terakado and Badiarov). And Malov's earlier recording of the suites 1, 2 and 6 including all the repeats.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

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