Bach cello prelude full#

Bailey was also struck and inspired by Christophe Coin's 2001 performance of the Sixth Suite at the RNCM Manchester Cello Festival on a 5-string cello, which helped him see that the Sixth Suite is more than just a symphonic tour de force, as Rostropovich viewed it, but as a singing symphony. Bailey, along with the rest of the cello world, was inspired by Anner Bylsma's earth-shaking Bach Suite recordings, which woke up the cello world to a 'new' way of playing Bach. He also wrestled with whether to play in a more 20th century romantic approach or something more along the lines of baroque performance practice. Only then did he feel the weight of his task and responsibility as an artist to slow down and study them more carefully. It wasn't until after he had finished graduate school that he came to understand their greatness and their limitless possibilities. No, they weren't just exercises to him, but he had not yet acquired the wisdom to comprehend how daunting they actually are from a musical perspective. He played Bach as a child, but the Suites weren't much more than assignments to slog through. Zuill Bailey's path of discovery regarding Bach mirrors what has happened in the last 150 years in the cello world. And now Telarc has released Zuill Bailey's Bach Suite CD, which is the culmination of ten years of his own intense study. Steven Isserlis and Truls MГёrk, both in their early 50's, only recently released their recordings. Rostropovich finally made a recording when he was in his 60's, much to the cello world's relief. Feuermann shied away from recording them out of deference to Casals' masterful recording. Casals waited twelve years before daring to perform them. It is because of this wide road to destruction that cellists typically wait for many years before they summon the courage to play the Suites in public, let alone record them. Recording Bach is a musical gauntlet that only the brave dare run. And if you try to make both camps happy, you run the risk of making them both unhappy instead. And given the deep divide between the baroque and Modern musical communities, one faction is likely to find what you do objectionable, while the other absolutely loves it. Bowings, use of vibrato, tempi, tuning, fingerings, and articulations will be dissected and discussed.

Bach cello prelude full#

Not only is one's technique on full display, but one's musical choices will be debated by musicians and music lovers for years. Imagine the courage it takes to record the Bach Suites, since the recording will be scrutinized from every imaginable angle. Except for a fortunate few, most attempt this monumental task just once, which makes it imperative that the cellist produce a recording that best approximates his or her musical ideals, at least at the time of the recording. While other recordings can be helpful in building or sustaining a career, it is his or her interpretation of the Bach Suites that seems to define the cellist in a way that other pieces don't. Recording the Bach Cello Suites may be a cellist's most important legacy. Zuill Bailey Records the Bach Cello Suites Zuill Bailey Records the Bach Cello Suites