Customer Reviews

Bach: Unaccompanied Cello Suites Performed on Double Bass

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Judging by how quickly this new Sony release has climbed the Amazon.com ranks, barely a week after its announced release, we can reasonably expect that Edgar Meyer's performance on double bass of the three Bach Suites for Unaccompanied Cello will be a classical hit, maybe even a "chart-buster." For solo music this cerebral and sublime, this may represent a "first."

If so, it will be because of Meyer's staggering musicianship. I have yet to see any Sony marketing of this album, much less a published critical review, and hope that Sony chooses not to market it as "the new classical music" or label it as "crossover" (bad decisions that Sony has made in the past).

All great cellists at some point in their careers have committed performances of the complete Cello Suites to recorded posterity, beginning at least as early as Pablo Casals. While my personal favorites happen to be those of Janos Starker ans Mstislav Rostropovich (two rather opposite interpretive approaches), Meyer's interpretation would appear to come closest to that of Casals: "straight up," neither overly romantic nor too lean, with absolute rhythmic and intonational accuracy.

By transposing these suites downward appropriately to take advantage of the sonorities of the double bass, Meyer has not made his task as performer any easier from a purely technical standpoint, but has given the music a gravitas, if you like, an intentional darkening and tonal enrichment, that I find to be entirely fitting for these solo-instrument masterpieces.

Meyer yields to no one in what he accomplishes here. Despite the far greater navigational difficulties of this instrument as compared to a cello, he takes no short cuts in the double and triple stops, while achieving on stopped strings resonant (and resinous) sonorities which, written for the cello, often are for open strings. And he has all the requisite speed and rhythmic accuracy and elan that one could ask for in the dance movements of the suites. There may have been double bass versions of these suites performed and recorded in the past, but they are now all rendered irrelevant by this release.

It is not unreasonable to expect that Meyer will go on to commit the remaining suites (no.'s 3, 4 and 6) to a follow-up release, and that Sony will likely release a double album at that time. But you are shortchanging your enjoyment of this staggering instrumentalist if you choose to wait it out until that happens. This disc is simply too good for that wait. Get it now, and enjoy it time after time until the second disc comes out. And then enjoy that one as well.

Bob Zeidler

When I first read of this album, my immediate thought was that it was a gimmick. Playing the Cello Suites at pitch on a bass? That was worse than transposing them down. Bassists, like other instrumentalists whose chosen instrument doesn't have a huge solo repetoir, often find themselves on the edge of gimmickery when trying to extend extend the instrument's catalog.

But Edgar Meyer is no ordinary bassist. He has a facility and a tone in the upper register that few can touch, and on hearing his interpretation I became a convert. These perfomances aren't going to please everyone; as others have noted, Meyer's dry tone is very different from the Romantic-era vibrato we have come to exopect in solo violin and cello. But it can be argued (as others have done) that it is an entirely appropriate approach for Bach's era. (Of course playing these suites on bass would have been altogether impossible on the bass viols of Bach's era.)

Regardless of whether Meyer's approach is historically appropriate it is still and outstanding and moving performance. Highly recommended to all bass players, and to all open minded Bach fans as well.

Edgar Meyer is the most talented classical basist of the 20th century. His newest CD, "Bach's Unaccompanied Cello Suites Performed on Double Base", is outstanding, wonderful, amazing, etc. Meyer plays these pieces with the same sort of feeling that Casals exuded, the same intonation Du Pre mastered, and as much robust and daring conviction as Rostropovich used . Meyer's unique phrasing is refreshing and his ingenuity is remarkable. Although the music takes on a heavier cloak, one might have a hard time believing that these suites are being performed on a double bass (disregarding the fact that the music is an octave lower). Meyer's genius is quite apparent when the listener realizes that since the music was written for a cello, not a bass, a one inch space between b and c on a cello turns into a three inch one on the bass. This means that to play the music up to tempo (which he quite eloquently does) Meyer had to play through many string crossings and works out creative fingerings. His double stops were clear and in tune, as is the rest of his playing. Once again Edgar Meyer has turned out a remarkable CD. To me, this is what music is all about, an astonishingly talented person recording/playing beautiful music in a new and groundbreaking way.

I'm a cellist, and I was curious about how a "bass player" would sound playing the Bach cello suites. Boy, was I in for a wonderful surprise. Listening to Edgar Meyer play the suites is a stunning, breathtaking, and inspiring experience. He skims effortlessly along in the higher registers with pristine grace. When he suddenly plays a low note or a chord, the shear power and timbre of the bass astounds me; it literally vibrates in my bones. I'm simply amazed and delighted.

Bach's Suites for solo cello are easily my favourite pieces of classical music and the double bass is easily my favourite instrument so when I learned that Edgar Meyer had released a recording of the suites on double bass I knew I had to hear it. I was not disappointed in the slightest. My love of Casal's performance has diminished since hearing Meyer's effort. The warmth and richness of his playing goes right through every bone in your body. Favourite moment: 5:23 into the prelude to suite 5. The whole room shook from the intensity of the performance. I can say with complete honesty that I have played this CD every day since it arrived in my mailbox.

In case the listener is not already aware, the program notes provided with this CD give a rundown of the challenges faced by a bassist attempting these suites: larger interval spacing, more frequent shifting and string crossings, and thicker strings with slower reaction times than those of the cello. Meyer likewise acknowledges that he initially used these pieces as technical studies (when he was 12!).

However, that said, these pieces are NOT technical etudes. While Meyer's physical mastery of the instrument is astounding, he gives the works a unique interpretation built upon thirty years of playing these works and from his vast knowledge of the wide variety of musical styles in which he has performed.

Under his fingers, each suite has an entirely distinct character. The Minor Key Suites (No. 2 and No. 5) coming across extremely bleakly, aided well by the naturally darker tone color of the bass. Conversely, Suite No. 1 in G Major has more life and energy that I have ever heard in any cellist's recording or performance of the suite. Due to its tuning, the bass sings more brightly in the key of G than any other. While most cellists present this suite (and particularly the first movement) as brooding and foreboding, Meyer's interpretation sounds joyful and exuberant, and is in my opinion surely closer to what Bach would have imagined for the piece.

Yes, playing the cello suites on the bass at pitch is amazing in itself. Yes, this CD is worthwhile just to hear Meyer's technical mastery. But more importantly, this disc offers a brilliant interpretation of the suites. In my view, it surpasses all other recordings of these pieces, regardless of the instrument of performance. If he released a CD of the other three suites, I'd buy it in a second too.

The two negative reviews of this album make pretty good objections regardint this album (although I strongly disagree with them). This is truly an aesthetic choice on your part. If you are a complete purist, you will dislike this album. The bass is going to give the pieces a much more hollow and dark sound than the cello - it's just how the instruments are made. Second, if you are someone who likes the Mischa Maisky style interpretations of the Bach cello suites (which I hate), you won't like this album. Meyer does not approach the music as a Romantic...he uses very little vibrato, nor does he use a massive dynamic range. However, we must keep in mind that the music was written in the BAROQUE era (not the 19th century), and therefore cannot be quite so obviously passionate. Meyer recognizes this, and makes up for it in other ways. His phrasing is impeccable - the contours of the melodies are brought out...the bass literally sings. Bach would be proud of Meyer's interpretation...and I also uphold that Bach would hate Maisky's (but that could be a personal bias).

I would like to note a couple of corrections to the reviews published thus far. Suite numbers 1 & 2 on this recording are actually performed a whole step HIGHER than the written music. Consequently, Suite 1 is actually performed in A major, though it was composed in G major, and suite 2 is actually performed in E minor. This is because Edgar is using a solo scordatura, or tuning, which raises the first three strings by a whole step. Suite 5 is performed an octave and a half step lower than the written key, in B minor.

Listening to Bach is a stirring experience....whether a group performance or solo presentation. Edgar Meyer performs the Bach Cello Suites on the bass, unaccompanied, and the result is revelatory. The thrill of the Bach melodies played on such a deep and soulful instrument leave the listener moved. There is a deeper and richer sound, the thicker strings and opportunity to cover more space on the neck provide a whole new stage for these magnificant works. Others reviewers have remarked on the sacrifices of technique to convert cello pieces to bass. This is a powerful, soulful interpertation of Bach, and any technical sacrifices made, are not noticed in the delivery. (I speak as a music lover first, musician second.) This CD yeilds immense rewards to anyone who listens ....and is an expression of passion for the music and the instrument. Edgar Meyer has produced the finest classical CD in my collection to date. Not since I heard an 18 year old Robert Barney bring the music weary crowd to its feet in St. Moritz thirty years ago with a different collection of cello suites on the double bass have I been so awestruck. A true revelation of the power of music.

A beautiful introspective presentation of these cello suites. The bass has a way of making the music touch your soul even more "deeply" than does the cello (though the usual cello versions of these pieces are often sublime). It does tend to stir up a bit of melancholy but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. This is lovely music for a rainy, reflective afternoon, or any other time you may wish to reach into your depths.