Paolo Beschi - Solo Cello Suites 4-6 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Cliffdiver - Exercise Your Demons [VINYL LP] Black, Colored Vinyl, Yellow, Smoke date 05/27/2022

Made at the age of 50, this is Pieter Wispelwey's third recording of the Cello Suites by J.S. Bach, and in very many ways his most impressive. The big difference in this case is that the cello is equipped with gut strings and tuned to 392 Hz. This results in tuning roughly a half-tone lower than usual, and with lower tension in the strings this has a greater effect than you might imagine. The low tension strings makes the way the music 'speaks' very different, and this is articulated in peformances which have a strong narrative feel and less emphasis on the lyrical side of the music. Wispelwey extends shapes, plays with pauses and silence, and explores the resonance of the instrument to the full. So yes, even if you know and love one or more complete recording of J.S. Bach's Suites for cello solo, then you owe it to yourself to acquire a copy of this . If there was a recording which takes us behind the notes of these pieces and adds to our understanding of their qualities then this is the one. That these are deeply satisfying performances and a marvelous recording seems an almost incidental bonus. (MusicWeb)

The immediacy and power of La Gaia Scienza and Paolo Beschi takes your breath away. The sound of these outstanding musicians on original instruments is amazing and appealing, the phrasing and the interaction are exemplary, every note and every bar has been rethought. Chamber music full of contrasts and emotions. Adventurous souls should not hesitate, key works by Brahms, Haydn, Schubert and Schumann have never been heard like this before and as a special encore, highlights from Bach's Cello Solo Suites can be heard. Paolo Beschi (co-founder and cellist of InchIl Giardino ArmonicoInch) conducts the ensemble InchLa Gaia ScienzaInch with pianist Federica Valli and violinist Stefano Barneschi. This group gives the world groundbreaking reinterpretations of romantic and baroque works. Pizzicato writes Inchplayed vitally and pulsating, with feeling but without pathos.Inch