Search - Johann Sebastian Bach :: Bach: The Cello Suites Vol.1, Nos.1, 2 & 3

The most thoughtful interpretations I've ever heard

A. Fondacaro | Austin, TX | 08/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first bought this CD looking to "get into classical music." I knew next to nothing about classical, but I knew that Bach was simply the best composer there ever was, or at least he was up there. So I grabbed this CD, listened to it three times, and have never let it collect dust in the six years I've owned it.



Blysma displays an absolute natural ability (and agility) in focusing the genius of Bach's Suites for Cello. His command of the instrument is astounding (the same sort of proficiency Bronfman displays with Rachmaninoff, or Edgar Meyer with himself).



He excels, particularily, in the sleight-of-hand triple-string harmonies that Bach somewhat invented in his suites. And yet nothing suffers in the bow attack, he rips into the strings, slaps his fingers against the neck. You can hear them thudding against the cello through the whole CD, certainly an audio glimpse into the confidence of Blysma's playing. I suppose in order to play these pieces successfully (not being a cello-player myself), you need the utmost confidence, besides an extra joint or two in the left hand. Blysma shies not away.



I've heard so many "genius" recordings where the Prelude to Suite no. 1 is carried off in metronome fashion. You could set a watch to Yo-Yo Ma's recording, and if that's your cup of tea, get cranking. Blysma seems to decide for a little variation, and infuses, not pauses, but the illusion of pauses, letting his fingers do the vibrato to end the note quickly, or lifting with his bow quickly. The result is a phrasing so subtle and genuine that it's impossible to get over. Just what does Blysma see in the suites that no one else does?



My favorite is Suite no. 2; especially the beginning of Allemande, where Blysma digs the bow into the strings for that three-note opener. Then the yearning begins, and suddenly Blysma grows a third arm and another cello (it literally sounds like a duet in places). The Menuet movement is to me the climax of the disc, sort of a cello reflection; as if the notes look inward to themselves and examine the space they occupy. If all this sounds like rubbish then perhaps I've listened too much.



Whatever, the recording is bulletproof and an absolute must for any cello player/student of music. With Blysma you start to see how the strands of interpretation work; and that is, a telepathy between performer and composer. Let the goosebumps begin.



"

Don't Overlook!

John Harrington | 01/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"More familiar names like Ma, Rostropovich, or Casals are often mentioned as recommendations for recordings of Bach's glorious cello suites, and rightly so. Don't overlook Anner Bylsma's interpretations, though. They easily hold their own with or surpass more famous ones.A seasoned figure of the period performance movement, Bylsma offers us some wonderful music-making here. He beautifully balances the cool calculation and rhapsodic, improvisational feel of these pieces. These are fundamentally warm, fleet, lyrical interpretations, yet they certainly don't neglect the more stringent, austere, solemn elements of the works. Bylsma's 1669 Venetian instrument has a pleasingly dry, light tone and is well recorded in a spacious church acoustic.I haven't heard Bylsma's more recent recordings of the suites, but based on these recordings, I'd sure love to."