Customer Reviews

Bach: Sonatas & Partitas BWV 1001-1006

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The ABC classic recording of Eugene Dombois performing Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 transcribed for lute coupled w/other Baroque pieces by Kellner, Conradi and Weiss released on the Seon Series has long been a benchmark recording. In my 48 years of playing guitar and listening to recordings there have been but three Bach discs to really float my boat: Dombois, Hopkinson Smith in transcriptions of Cello Suites No's 4 & 6 and now this Hopkinson Smith. There is no duplication among them.

They have in common that there is no pretense or show. Their conceptions and executions are masterful.

They strike an ideal balance between the issues of two types of listening: dealing with music written for other instruments (Dombois-cello, H. Smith-violin) with what one expects or needs to hear cross over (like particular rhythms) and what can reasonably cross over to be met by the also unique offerings and possibilities in performance from the other instrument with consequent expectations of what listeners from the "plucked" side want or also need to hear. Ideally, the two types of listening go on in the same person like they do to an extent in the performer. Otherwise, the performance of the transcription will always disappoint unless the performer makes an all out effort to "imitate" the predispositions of one listener or the other.

I'm no stranger to expectations not met. I grew up loving Bach: Well Tempered Clavier I,II Leonhardt. I rejected Schiff, Gould and Hewitt (literally sold them off-ironically Schiff and Hewitt Penguin Guide rosettes), but embraced Jarrett (bk.I), Jando (bk.II) and Richter (both). Ironically, I passed over buying Hopkinson Smith because of the Amazon reviews many years ago.

The recording quality is excellent: palpable and supple with small gradations of dynamics, large as life. I was surprised and delighted to learn from reading the disc notes that H.Smith studied with Dombois.

For the most beautiful "beautified" Bach lute prformances - not to be missed - are two volumes with Eduardo Eguez. I suspect these would send some reviewers over the edge because of tasteful lingering here and there. For desert island, non-Bach lute discs to really cherish there are: Weiss Vol.3 w/Michel Cardin, Weiss Vol.3 w/Lutz Kirchhof (no intersection w/Cardin Vol.3), Tabvlatvres de Levt (Le Roy, Morlaye, de Rippe, Paladin) w/Paul O'Dette (hardest to find), Pieces pour Theorbes Francaises w/Jose Moreno, Fantasia de mon Triste w/Christopher Wilson and Lord Herbert of Cherbury's Lute Book w/Paul O'Dette. These are guaranteed winners. (I know; I haven't said a thing about O'Dette's Dowland and Bach or Hopkinson Smith in French Renaissance - definite desert island candidates)

Bach is not only the father of music but the god of music and the sonatas & partitas for violin are truly masterpieces of pure universal harmony, very methaphisic and abstract.
This transcriptions for the king of instruments, the lute, are a revelation of trascendence, elegance, technical skills and harmonic development. This works sounds better in lute than in violin or even on classical guitar.
Listen to this marvelous achievement of the greatest lutenist of our time, the one and only Hopkinson Smith.