Customer Reviews

Bach: Complete Flute Sonatas; Complete Viola da Gamba Sonatas

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album contains all of the technically challenging sonatas for flute and viola accompanied by the harpsichord. Although I wasn't terribly thrilled by Kuijken's and Cervera's performances on the viola, the flute sonatas are truly a gem worthy of purchase.

Larrieu and Puyana perform the flute sonatas impeccably. Although it does have some slight limitations, the almost 40-year old recording still sounds very clear and loud. I was extremely disappointed with the viola pieces and all of the musicians there seemed to be out of step from each other. A good interpretation I've found is on Harmonia Mundi with Paolo Pandolfo and Rinaldo Alessandrini performing: they are more proficient with the instrument and their performance is warm and melodious. They follow the meter well and apply the counterpoint very nicely. It is also a more recent 1995 recording with much better sound quality.

Overall this album is definitely a keeper as the flute sonatas are magnificently played and I've heard very few played better than here. The viola sonatas are horribly deficient and there are better performances out there that can compensate for it. Despite the defects of the viola performances, I still think this album is worth every penny.

Maxene Larrieu is a grgeat flutist. I have playted these sonatas for many years and have heard recordings by over 20 different artists and this is by far my favorite.

I don't have any other reference recordings to compare this double-disc bargain set to, but I find it to be an immensely pleasurable experience. All the instrumentalists play with clarity, color, and apparant effortlessness. Normally, I have difficulty listening to the harpsichord for over an hour (usually I find the instrument too "grating" for my tastes), but the combination of viola or flute in the pieces really augment the beauty of the keyboard. Again, I don't have a reference recording to compare this set to, but I believe that at such a moderate price, that this double-disc set is definitely worth a try.

These recordings of Bach's flute sonatas date from the late sixties, but are for me still more satisfying than many recent recordings. This is remarkable because in general I prefer performances on period instruments. However on this CD I like the flowing quality of the flute played by Maxence Larrieu in stead of the often gasping or restless performances on traverso versions. The cello part in the continuo in some of the sonatas is a bit heavy, but provides a steady ground that I don't mind.

The gamba sonatas sound somewhat more dated. On the other hand the generally slow tempi invite to more than superficial listening to these beautiful works.

Moreover: it's a bargain

I have the vinyl version of this album and have listened to it for years. I have heard other flutists renditions of some of these pieces and none of them come close to this. This is by far some of the best-played bach I have heard. I would like to own the CD. It would be nice to hear this minus the pops and skips that occur on the old vinyl.

I did not expect to find these two groups of works on one set. The Viola da Gamba sonatas and the flute sonatas are not packaged together on any other two cd set of which I am aware. People have complained about the Viola da Gamba sonatas, but I have no problem with them. I enjoy the way that these artists perform the Viola da Gamba sonatas. I like the sound of the harpsichord on the flute sonatas. I've found that two harpsichords rarely sound the same.

This CD impressed me as a perfect playing of Bach.the flute playing is excerptionally enchanting.so is the harpsichord s performence.ADORABLE!