Bach: Cello Suites

• Main performer: Paul Tortelier
• Booklet languages: English, French, German
• Time: 145:02
• Release Date: 2004

Review

How many recordings of Bach's Cello Suites does anyone need? If one has the magisterial Casals recording and the exquisite Fournier recording and the robust Rostropovich recordings and the sturdy Schiff recordings and the pretty Ma and the rough Bylsma recordings, does one really need another recording, no matter how good? That is the question. And the answer, of course, is yes, provided the recording has something to add to what one already knows of the Suites. In the case of Paul Tortelier's 1983 recording of the Suites, the answer is yes, indubitably, yes. More than any other performance, Tortelier brings out the beauty of the music, the achingly beautiful melodies, the sensuously beautiful harmonies, and the thrillingly beautiful rhythms. Although one might reasonably prefer the tone of rough-hewn Casals or the graceful Fournier or the burly Rostropovich, if one is looking for a recording of the Suites with beauty to warm the heart, Tortelier's are the ones to hear. EMI's sound was clear and intimate in its day and this remastering is even more lovely. ~ James Leonard, Rovi

Performances

Composer	Title	Time
Johann Sebastian Bach	Suite for solo cello No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007	18:03
Johann Sebastian Bach	Suite for solo cello No. 4 in E flat major, BWV 1010	26:06
Johann Sebastian Bach	Suite for solo cello No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011	27:35
Johann Sebastian Bach	Suite for solo cello No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008	21:01
Johann Sebastian Bach	Suite for solo cello No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009	23:11
Johann Sebastian Bach	Suite for solo cello No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012	29:06

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