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Sold Date:
October 25, 2022
Start Date:
October 22, 2022
Final Price:
€85.00
(EUR)
Seller Feedback:
29880
Buyer Feedback:
0
MERCURY
Living Presence
Speakers Corner
SR3-9016 - stereo
3 LP boxed set
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Today it is difficult to understand that despite the tremendous Bach
renaissance that took place in the 19th century many compositions by the
Cantor of St. Thomas’s Church in Leipzig had been underrated. The Cello
Suites, for example, have been regarded for almost 300 years as purely a
set of tricky etudes that every virtuoso in the making simply must
tackle. What recording engineers and their equipment can bring to the
ears is quite astounding. So it was back in the Thirties with Pablo
Casal’s legendary recording against which every cellist is measured
today and to whose perfection he aspires. Janos Starker’s recording of
the Suites from 1965 makes a lasting impression on the listener, even
when compared with other recordings from the digital era, and even
record producers who are well used to recorded excellence have been
highly impressed. For Charlotte Gilbert of the Mercury record label,
these recording sessions were one of five truly great events in all her
20 years of recording experience. Without a doubt, Starker allows his
instrument to resound freely but without forcing the tone. Starker’s
full-bodied sound and technical brilliance are complemented by his
finely chiselled interpretation that lends immense expression to Bach’s
thrilling harmony and verve to the strict rhythmic construction of the
movements. Just listen to his organ-like double-stopped passages, the
eloquent dialogues, and the pure excitement created by his highly
individual treatment of tempo. Then you will surely agree with the
often-quoted paradox that Bach’s Cello Suites are ‘polyphony for a solo
instrument’
Harry Langer