# Francesco Cera's recording of Bach's French Suites.



## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Has anyone tried them? I've really start to enjoy them and become I've become fascinated by some of his ideas (which remind me a bit of Richard Egarr's ideas about the English suites.)


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## chesapeake bay (Aug 3, 2015)

I haven't heard his French suites but I do enjoy his Cembalo concerto's BWV 1052--1054 and 1056. Are the french suites available? I haven't noticed them anywhere.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

chesapeake bay said:


> I haven't heard his French suites but I do enjoy his Cembalo concerto's BWV 1052--1054 and 1056. Are the french suites available? I haven't noticed them anywhere.


This set is available on ArkivMusic, Amazon and just about all other sales sites. It's a wonderful set. Along with the sets from David Cates and Alan Curtis (RIP), Cera's is one of my favorites. What I love most about it is the subtle differences he offers in the repeats. A lot of folks don't key on repeats, but I certainly do; hell, it's half the music.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

My reaction to Cera's French suites has changed with time. I got it when it first came out, and at first I was really repelled by what I saw as very unnatural sounding rubato which often means that there's no pulse you can easily tap your feet to. And to a lesser extent, by slow tempos, especially in the earlier suites. 

I came back to it after thinking about Egarr's ideas about the English suites, which he sees as a cycle representing a journey to a tertible, dark place. It's in the booklet. Then I recalled that Cera has a similar idea about the French suites: he sees them as a journey from trouble through prayer to salvation. So I went back to the recording and now, for some reason, I'm much more open to what he does. I'm much more open to what he does. I don't mind the rubato at all, or the tempos. On the contrary . . . 

The recording is miked too close for me really: I find it hard to make it sound natural on my hifi. I have to turn down the volume.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Has anyone heard other things by Cera (apart from the Bach concertos)? I'm very curious about what he does with Orgelbuchlein, Trabaci, D'Anglebert and maybe Scarlatti.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Bulldog said:


> This set is available on ArkivMusic, Amazon and just about all other sales sites. It's a wonderful set. Along with the sets from David Cates and Alan Curtis (RIP), Cera's is one of my favorites. What I love most about it is the subtle differences he offers in the repeats. A lot of folks don't key on repeats, but I certainly do; hell, it's half the music.


Well, in that case you're missing half the music in Curtis's set! If I remember right he takes them beautifully in the sarabandes but not elsewhere.

Cates is a strange case, an interesting set of French suites, though not a favourite for me, I wan't so captivated by his Froberger or his other Bach CD.

Then nothing: he's an artist who missed the boat as far as harpsichord stardom is concerned I suppose. No doubt he has another agenda, probably a more profitable one, these days it's so hard to make any money in early music, there may not be a boat to miss.

(i'll just mention, Don, another French suites I've started to enjoy is Asperen's - for the ornamentation.)


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Mandryka said:


> Well, in that case you're missing half the music in Curtis's set! If I remember right he takes them beautifully in the sarabandes but not elsewhere.


I don't key on repeats when they are not presented. Put another way, although I prefer that repeats be observed, I don't hold the lack of repeats against the performer.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

I wonder what you think of this, Robert Hill playing BWV 815. The other suites are there on YouTube


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Mandryka said:


> I wonder what you think of this, Robert Hill playing BWV 815. The other suites are there on YouTube


Short answer - excellent. Hill's always excellent.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

It’s the doubles in the sarabandes which I find the most special in these performances. I just listened to the 6th and the harmonies in the double were pretty surprising - like one of those modernist cadenzas that Schnabel used to play in Mozart concertos. 

The rest is very “thought through from scratch” too I think, the rhythms and the voicing. It’s a pretty special set of French suites I think, and I’ll definitely be getting to know it better. Shame it’s not commercially released, but maybe the idea of a commercial release is pretty out of date these days, no one makes any money from them, and the sound on YouTube isn’t bad at all.

I just wish Hill would slow down a bit, he’s too hyper for me really.


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