MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2023
Approaching 60,000 reviews
and more.. and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


 REVIEW


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 


Availability
CD: Buywell


Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Complete Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord
Sonata No. 1 in G major BWV 1027 [12:05]
Sonata No. 2 in D major BWV 1028 [15:33]
Sonata No. 3 in G minor BWV 1029 [15:10]
Daniel Yeadon (viola da gamba)
Neal Peres Da Costa (harpsichord)
rec. 16-19 June 2004, 9-12 March 2006, Eugene Goossens Hall, Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Ultimo Centre, New South Wales, Australia. Stereo. DDD
ABC CLASSICS 476 3394 [43:15]
Experience Classicsonline


Bach’s sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord are better known through arrangements - cello and piano, cello and harpsichord, viola and harpsichord - than in their original configuration. Daniel Yeadon and Neal Peres Da Costa, demonstrate the musical value of returning to the original instrumentation in these impressively lively, engaging and historically sensitive accounts. The timbral and dynamic variety within the gamba sound was clearly at the forefront of Bach’s mind as he wrote these sonatas, the singing quality at the top, the satisfying lugubriousness lower down, differences that neither the cello nor the viola is quite capable of capturing.

The works are essentially trio sonatas, with contrapuntal melodic lines in the gamba and harpsichord right hand over a continuo (but rarely figured) bass in the left. This can cause problems of balance, given the harpsichord’s lack of punch and the disparity between the opulent upper register and diminutive lower register of the gamba. The clarity of both instruments at all registers on this recording is admirable, but the harpsichord right hand is almost always the most dominant of the three parts. This allows the gamba to weave in and out rather than dominate as a solo instrument, although Bach’s use of the gamba’s upper strings to cut through the counterpoint is elegantly represented. The Eugene Goossens Hall in Sydney has a satisfyingly resonant acoustic, and both instruments benefit from the acoustical warmth it offers. The Allegro moderato finale of the first sonata is the only movement on the disc in which the contrapuntal detail is threatened by the resonance, and even here the risk pays off, the ambience giving the harpsichord lines valuable continuity.

The performances are lively and engaging, and the occasionally daring tempi never fail to convince. The opening movement of the second suite is a case in point. The square brackets around the adagio on the track listing suggest scepticism that the indication was Bach’s own. With this in mind, the incredibly slow tempo is a brave interpretive decision, but again, the timbral richness of both instruments, the warmth of the hall and some appropriately discrete ornamentation and rubato ensure that the results make perfect musical sense.

Of the three suites, the third is the most interesting. Bach increases the textural variety to include passages in parallel 6ths between the harpsichord right hand and gamba, large leaps between the gamba strings and even at one point quadruple stopping. Both players make the most of these textural details, without undue exaggeration, bringing the programme to an impressive and satisfying conclusion.

Musically accomplished performances then, and excellently served by both the choice of venue and the sound recording. In terms of the post-production, intervals between the tracks are on the long side, slightly compromising the integrity of each of the suites, especially given the disciplined cadences with which the players end each movement. The liner notes by Neal Peres Da Costa are insightful and comprehensive, even going so far as to describe the harpsichord to those unfamiliar with the instrument. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is evidently anticipating a very broad audience, and well they might. It is a recording that will be of equally high value to those familiar with the works, those new to them, and those new to them in their original form. 

Gavin Dixon



 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools




Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.