Cello Suites Recommendation

I'm not very adept at Britten (I have heard few works), but the one work that has been a must in my collection since the LP era is his set of Cello Suites. I used to have Timothy Hugh on Hyperion (I see that he has another one on Naxos-the same, licensed, or a newer recording?). It bronzed, so I had to replace it, choosing Jean-Guihen Queyras. Presto Classical says, about the latter: "[T]he French cellist demonstrate his supremely high artistic standards. An unqualified success!"

Fournier is a favorite of mine. Others, Schiff for JS Bach Suites, Wispelwey for Britten Suites. :tiphat:

Fournier is also my favorite for Bach. Some will also recommend Pablo Casals, who really was instrumental in bringing those works of Bach to the forefront. The recordings are dated, and not as good of sound quality as more modern recordings, but don't let that dissuade you. Mono recordings really don't do that poorly, especially when it is a solo instrument, and stereo becomes superfluous.

I don't know of other Cello Suites. But the Cello Concerto repertoire - while not as big as for other instruments like the violin and the piano - has some impressive works. Dvorak's Cello Concerto and Elgar's Cello Concerto are among the most famous, and justifiably so.

I've always like Zeuthen's recording of the Bach suites, often available at a low price, where you' ll get good sound, engaged playing and a cello version of the flute partita.
There are also cello suites by Reger (Fukaceva recording is good) and Bloch, 3 by each composer. Both sets are quite neo-baroque. You should also try the solo cello sonata by Crumb, and Kodaly's.

Weinberg, Saariaho and Nørgård are among the composers who have written several solo cello works as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solo_cello_pieces

DrMike said:

Fournier is also my favorite for Bach

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Yes, I got the same impression by listening to it just once at a party. I had to ask who was playing and all the guy told me was that it was Fournier. I don't know the label, the year... nothing. Any help?? Has Fournier recorded the Cello Suites more than once or there is only one option??

Originally, the Fournier set was on Archiv, a side-label of DG (1961). There is only one complete set, from what I know; there may be some live recital pieces too, etc.

I haven't heard the live Rostropovich (is it this one?).

I recommend that you check this out:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...ich&qid=1446577480&ref_=sr_1_2&s=music&sr=1-2

Fournier is really good, probably the best all round recommendation. He really makes the music dance. Casals is, of course, important for its hisirical value. I can remember a concert at the Wigmore Hall where Rafael Wallfisch played three of the suites. Memorable evenng. Who but Bach could wrote such music?

My favorite Bach Cello Suites comes from Beschi on Winter & Winter. It's HIP all the way and sharp as hell.

There have been a number of very good performances - Casals, Fournier, Schiff (and I agree that Rafael Wallfisch is very convincing live - especially when he plays these 'in the round') but imho the shining performance is that of Rostropovich on EMI

joen_cph said:

I've always like Zeuthen's recording of the Bach suites, often available at a low price, where you' ll get good sound, engaged playing and a cello version of the flute partita.

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I think this is an outstanding choice, very uplifting performances.

SweetJesus said:

Are there any other brilliant Cello Suites that I am missing?? ??

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The question is challenging. I want to say no, not as far as I know. There is a brilliant piece for solo cello called Nomos Alpha by Iannis Xenakis, but it's not a suite of dances. And there are brilliant suites for solo viol, those by Dietrich Stoeffken and William Lawes for example, and perhaps also by Ste. Colombe, John Jenkins and Christopher Simpson. But viol is not cello.

SweetJesus said:

Any other recommendation for Bach's??

Thanks

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This is a very lively area, and there have been some major new trends in performance over the past 10 years or so which I've enjoyed exploring. One is just to do with instrument. Many people have started to make use of small instruments called shoulder cellos, almost like a viola, which Bach would have been well aware of. There is a rather good recording using one by Dmitri Badiarov.

And there have been some serious explorations of how to phrase the music - some people think that it works well to play the suites less lyrically and more dramatically - so that the music sounds less like an aria, and more like a dramatic recitative with short speech-like phrases. Bylsma's second recording is like this, and so is Wispelwey's third.

But of course Fournier made several recordings which are perfectly satisfactory, as you noted.

If you want J.S. Bach's cello suites played in a way that really bring out the dance movements and qualities as they were intended to in my opinion, Heinrich Schiff is your man as Vaneyes already mentioned.

Dr Johnson said:

I haven't heard the live Rostropovich (is it this one?).

I recommend that you check this out:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...ich&qid=1446577480&ref_=sr_1_2&s=music&sr=1-2

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Yes! That's the one I have. It's not bad, but it doesn't make me feel like I have found the perfect choice for this wonderful work (so far Fournier is the only one who has been close to doing that)

joen_cph said:

Originally, the Fournier set was on Archiv, a side-label of DG (1961). There is only one complete set, from what I know; there may be some live recital pieces too, etc.

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I've been doing a little research on that matter and turns out there are 4 different recordings of the Cello Suites by Fournier.

-1959/Accord (no clue)
-1961/DG (the one you mentioned and the one I suspect I feel in love with)
-1972/TDK (no clue)
-1977/Philips (I've read really mixed opinions about this one: from definitive recording to end-of-career indifferent rendition)

I'll check them all on spotify in the next few days, but it looks like the DG/Archiv one is the one to get.

Yes, you are right. Thanks for widening my knowledge in this matter.
The DG/Archiv is the most well-known, for sure.