These fine sonatas are a must-have for any self-respecting J.S. Bach
collection, but for some reason I’ve always found myself stocking up on
cello & piano recordings such as those with Mischa Maisky and Martha
Argerich on Deutsche Grammophon and Leonard Rose and Glenn Gould on Sony
Classical. Viola player Kim Kashkashian’s ECM recording with Keith Jarrett
from 1991 is nice enough but doesn’t count in this context. The viola da
gamba is an entirely different prospect, but its synergy with the
harpsichord is very much in evidence in this superb recording from Marianne
Muller and Françoise Lengellé.
By no means lacking in expression, the fretted gamba lends itself to
clean, vibrato-free lines which sound like a
sostenuto extension of
the plucked harpsichord strings in this recording, though as you will hear,
Marianne Muller is also happy to heighten the expressive range of her
instrument, decorating significant notes with ornamental vibrato sparingly
in slow movements such as the gorgeous
Adagio of
BWV
1029.
There are numerous recordings of these sonatas around, and a more overtly
dramatic time can be had on the Alpha label with Arnaud De Pasquale on
harpsichord and Lucile Boulanger, viola da gamba (see
review). Theirs is a busier, more heavily textured sound with
greater intensity to the ornamentation and an arguably more mannered
approach to slow movements. Their vividness of imagery suits the opening
violin sonata transcription
BWV 1023, which opens like a stormy
scene from a French opera, the low pedal tones in the harpsichord grimly
foreboding. Muller/Lengellé are lighter in colour, more airy, their filler
the G major
BWV 1019 violin sonata a gentler offering than the E
minor rival. Which you prefer will be a matter of taste. I love the rich
resonance and striking playing of De Pasquale/Boulanger, but prefer
Muller/Lengellé’s elegant simplicity in slow movements such as the sublime
Andante of
BWV 1027.
Mikko Perkola and Aapo Häkkinen are artists I admired in Rameau (see
review), so I’ve taken their Naxos recording (see
review) as a further reference. Theirs is a more resonant
recording though still with plenty of detail. Arguments as to whether the
gamba or the harpsichord should be named first in these works seem also to
exist in terms of recording balance, and I would say the harpsichord is more
on top in this case. Perkola/Häkkinen tend to go for broader tempi, which
adds a kind of stately flavour to the first movement of
BWV 1029,
but at 7:02 when compared to Muller/Lengellé’s 5:54 I would say the
Vivace spirit of the music has been somewhat knocked on the head.
This is all very lovely, but doesn’t take off in quite the energy-giving way
that this ZZT recording delivers.
In the end this is what sells this recording to me. With a refreshing
sound, unpretentious but highly expert and supremely idiomatic playing, this
disc has created a little itch in me which demands to be scratched. It
doesn’t seek too far beyond the notes in seeking profundity or layers of
spiritualism deeper than the Lutheran, nor do its performers find any need
to beat you with into submission with overly clever technique or
interpretative prowess. If you want a shot of chamber-music Bach then this
is a cool Gin & Tonic on a warm summer day: something to revive your
spirits and cure all kinds of tropical stickiness.
Dominy Clements
