Viola Da Gamba Sonatas BWV 1027-1029

J.S. Bach (Artist), Anner Bylsma (Artist), Bob Van Asperen (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 18, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002711
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #318,576 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sonata for viola da gamba & keyboard No. 3 in G minor, BWV 1029: Vivace

2. Sonata for viola da gamba & keyboard No. 3 in G minor, BWV 1029: Adagio

3. Sonata for viola da gamba & keyboard No. 3 in G minor, BWV 1029: Allegro

4. Sonata for viola da gamba & keyboard No. 2 in D major, BWV 1028: Adagio

5. Sonata for viola da gamba & keyboard No. 2 in D major, BWV 1028: Allegro

6. Sonata for viola da gamba & keyboard No. 2 in D major, BWV 1028: Andante

7. Sonata for viola da gamba & keyboard No. 2 in D major, BWV 1028: Allegro

8. Sonata for viola da gamba & keyboard No. 1 in G major, BWV 1027: Adagio

9. Sonata for viola da gamba & keyboard No. 1 in G major, BWV 1027: Allegro ma non tanto

10. Sonata for viola da gamba & keyboard No. 1 in G major, BWV 1027: Andante

11. Sonata for viola da gamba & keyboard No. 1 in G major, BWV 1027: Allegro moderato

12. Sonata from 'Musikalische Vielerley' for viola da gamba & continuo in A: Larghetto

13. Sonata from 'Musikalische Vielerley' for viola da gamba & continuo in A: Allegro

14. Sonata from 'Musikalische Vielerley' for viola da gamba & continuo in A: Tempo di Minuetto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Variation of the Gamba Sonatas, December 14, 2006

By 

Evan Getz (Waco, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Viola Da Gamba Sonatas BWV 1027-1029 (Audio CD)

I have been a fan of Jordi Savall from my first introduction. I very much appreciate his gamba technique and find his interpretations of these same sonatas quite compelling.

That said, Anner Bylsma's disc gets a great deal more playing time. The timbre of the piccolo cello is ideally matched with the organ. While purists may balk at such unusual instrumentation, I cannot help but think such an experiment is quite in keeping with the spirit of Baroque era practices. In general, I try not to judge the success of a recording by a preconceived idea of what a musical elite would or would not approve of. If the instrumentation adds new colors and delights to the music, then it is a success.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars strange but fine, April 2, 2002

By 

new music guy (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Viola Da Gamba Sonatas BWV 1027-1029 (Audio CD)

Most recordings of the Bach viola da gamba sonatas these days are either modern, with the soloist perfoming on viola or cello with a piano accompaniment, or historical, using viola da gamba and harpsichord. This CD is just plain weird.

Bylsma, a fine baroque and classical cellist, has chosen to perform these works on a piccolo cello, a short-lived instrument for which Bach wrote the 6th cello suite, and which also appeared as an obbligato instrument in several of the cantatas. Even odder, he has chosen an organ as his keyboard, with the liner notes claiming it will result in better blend (though I wouldn't necessarily agree).

Fortunately, these two players are fine enough that the disc works regardless, but the instrumentation results in the performance being more of a curiosity than anything else.

In my opinion, the definitive recording of these works is Jordi Savall's excellent period performance with Ton Koopman. Though modern instruments are not my choice for Bach, you can't go wrong with Misha Maisky and Martha Argerich playing these sonatas. This Bylsma recording is worth skipping.