Search - J.S. Bach, Daniel Lippel :: J.S. Bach BWV 998, 1003, 1010

Excellent

Cap Canaille | New Haven, CT | 01/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Daniel Lippel's expert account of three solo works by J.S. Bach is a welcome addition to my short stack of favorite CD's. The disc's first two works were originally composed for solo violin and cello, respectively. Mr. Lippel's tasteful transcriptions for the guitar bring out the harmonic and rhythmic essence of each work, and are particularly effective in the Cello Suite at enhancing the dance-like character of the movements. His tone is generally light and lute-like, but does not shy away from expressive variety.



The triumph of this disk is Mr. Lippel's ability to express both the intimacy and the grandeur of this music. The Sonata's Andante and the Suite's Sarabande are not soothingly placid, but singingly personal. The first half ot the Andante looks tenderly into the eyes of a beloved, while the second half confronts hard questions with equal tender honesty. The quiet introspection of the Sarabande becomes poignant nostalgia when Lippel repeats the final phrase.



Perhaps most surprising is the Fugue of BWV 998. The work begins with an unassumingly beautiful subject, which in Lippel's hands takes on an expansive beneficence as it moves through its contrapuntal paces. The fugue's extended middle section moves with a light grace and Mr. Lippel guides the listener through with an assured sense of the structure and the significance of each harmonic turn. The return of the opening's fugal texture leads to a conclusion that reveals a magnificence and grandeur rarely heard in this repertoire and yet infinitely satisfying, with an inevitability that recognizes the journey we've had from the beginning of the movement. Never satisfied with the interpretive status quo, Mr. Lippel gives us the full fruits of his ongoing relationship with Bach -- the widest possible scope of experience, channeled through a single guitar."

Dan Lippel, J.S.Bach BWV 998, 1003, 1010

Ronald M. Liebman | New York | 12/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I found this to be a truly exquisite album. Mr.Lippel's playing is technically impressive, and moving in it's emotional intensity. The physical sound of his guitar and the quality of the recording are as good as any classical guitar CD that I have heard. This is a valued addition to my classical guitar library, and I'm already looking forward to Mr.Lippel's future recordings."