Richard P. Glasser | Chicago, IL United States | 02/11/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Yes, the playing is beautiful. Yes, the dances have a rhythmic spring. Yes, Isserlis understands the arc of the melody. But I am reminded of how a non-English conductor instructed an English orchestra on rehearsing a Mahler symphony: "Forget that you are gentlemen." Well, Isserlis does not forget that he is a gentleman. Granted Bach isn't Mahler, but there is room for a lot more gutsiness and passion than we get here. Emotionally these performances are on the cool and tepid side. Everything is very genteel, very proper. I want this music to grab me by the lapels, and these performances don't do that. Without being self-indulgent, many others do: Casals, Mork, Wispelwey I, Haimowitz, Ma I, Kirschbaum and Starker to name a few. If you want more committed performances with the same beauty and elegance as these, Fournier is your man."
GROWING UP
GEORGE RANNIE | DENVER, COLORADO United States | 09/17/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It was not until I reached some maturity that I fell in love with Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suites. Prior to that time, I really couldn't see why they were considered so very great. Well into my adulthood, I fell completely in love with the works considering them as some of my favorite compositions. Similarity, Steven Isserlis did not record these works until he had done an enormous amount of study along with the acquisition of some gray hair. The result of the aforesaid has yielded a gorgeous recording of the Cello Suites on this two disc Hyperion recording. Steven plays these works most beautifully with nary a harsh tone. The fast dances are played very rhythmically sounding for once as if one could "twirl the floor to them". Most of all, the sound he produces is very lovely. I've never heard the works played as consistently beautiful as Steven Isserlis plays them in this recording. As expected the recorded sound is lovely too.
Do read the very extensive and educational notes in the recording sleeve by Steven Isserlis--they are marvelously informative!
(The last two suites on the second disc are particularly lovely. They find Bach at his mature best and Isserlis at his greatest playing with supreme technique and beautiful tone)"
Life is short........get this and start enjoying!
Anne | Maryland, USA | 07/25/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"You will love this recording! It's truly the most sincere and beautiful playing of the Suites I've ever heard. Steven Isserlis always gets it right. But be warned - you won't get a thing done for awhile, because you'll want to listen to these over and over! The music will draw you in, and you'll find yourself thinking about the beauty of the Suites even after you've finished listening. My advice - turn it back on!"
Isserlis puts dance back into the suites
Tom Lawrence | Cambridge, MA USA | 07/27/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I like the way Steven Isserlis phrases Bach's Cello Suites. He understands the arc of the melody, the breath and swing of each piece, taking these Menuets and Gigues back to their dance roots. His sound is a bit chalky, nicely so, sometimes touching a pedal note just shy of full resonance. There is a sense of fiddling to his technique. It's a fun recording, well worth the listen."
A magnificent recording
Sid Nuncius | London England | 02/24/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have loved the Bach Cello Suites ever since I was an almost talent-free teenage cellist getting on for 40 years ago, and in that time I have heard (and often bought) wonderful recordings by some of the world's very greatest cellists including Casals, Tortelier, Fournier and Yo-Yo Ma. Isserlis's recording stands with the very best of them. He is a magnificent musician and has thought and studied for years before tackling the Bach Suites. This shows in his delightful involvement in the music, the way the dances really dance when they should and how the very soul of the music and of Bach shines through what he does. Joy, sorrow, beauty and passion are all beautifully evoked, and it's all exactly appropriate - no flashy tricks or dodgy imposition of things which aren't really there. There is just a deep understanding and love of Bach's music. The whole thing is a monumental pleasure.
The accompanying notes are extremely interesting. They show both the depth of Isserlis's scholarship and his thoughtfulness about the Suites. I particularly like the section headed "A personal feeling (definitely not a theory!)" in which he suggests that the suites may be seen as akin to Mystery Sonatas - an interesting and thought-provoking viewpoint, which never interferes with the music itself.
The recording quality is excellent. It is miked very close, giving an intimate feel - so intimate that you can hear the slap of Isserlis's fingers in the livelier parts. I love the sense this gives of his being in the room with you, and the sound of his cello is simply lovely throughout.
In the face of the greatness of some of the recordings which have preceded this one, I couldn't say this was definitive, nor even that it was my absolute favourite. But then I couldn't say that of any of the others either. I do know that if I had to choose just one recording to live with, this would be a very strong contender. Very highly recommended indeed."
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1