BACH: Cello suites

Badiarov, Dmitry

RAM 1003

For which instrument did Bach actually write his six suites for unaccompanied violoncello? Ramée propose that Bach himself may have been the first player of these two great cycles of solo compositions. • Whilst no single source mentions that Bach played the violone or viola da gamba, he is known to have been a capable violinist and viola-player. Bach possessed several violoncello piccolos, with both four and five strings, made by Johann Christian Hoffmann, a contemporary in Leipzig. This suggests that the appropriate type of violoncello for Bach’s suites is that made by Hoffmann, and that, when played on the arm ("da spalla") like a violin, the number of unavoidable shifts is no more than average for baroque music. A violin or viola player can rapidly become accustomed to the fingering, which is almost identical to that of the violin. • The present recording suggests a fascinating and convincing interpretation of the Six Cello Suites on violoncello da spalla by Dmitry Badiarov, one of the leading figures in the reconstruction of this instrument, and one of its most promising players.

CD x 2

Muzyka klasyczna

Ramée

30-09-2010

4250128510035