I dropped the instrument I was studying, the zither, for the guitar. Let's think about the choice: ländlers, waltzes, and polkas on an obscure
German folk instrument, or Bach on the much more trendy guitar... I didn't look back for many years.
What especially caught my attention was Gerwig's arrangement of the first 'cello suite. I have loved that suite in particular ever since. However, it was many years before I heard it performed on its intended instrument, the baroque 'cello. My motivation to hear it on 'cello was weak: I think baroque lute transcriptions of the 'cello suites bring out the best in that music. This is sure the raise the hackles of 'cello lovers and purists alike, although it is worth pointing out that there is evidence that at least one of the suites was transcribed with Bach's knowledge, if not blessing. I can't imagine Sebastian Bach himself approving of any argument by purists: music was music and the medium was always negotiable, subject to availability.My first 'cello recording was Jaap ter Linden's. A fine recording with an excellent sound on the harmonia mundi label. Simplicity and directness prevail, but I have found that recording to be intellectually satisfying, but it hasn't engaged me enough to choose it over my recording by Nigel North on baroque lute. (Hopkinson Smith hasn't recorded all of the 'cello suites, but those he has recorded are personal favorites.)
However, a more recent recording by Tanya Tomkins is another story. She plays more broadly and with greater warmth. The San Diego Early Music Society recently hosted a concert by Tomkins that was especially well attended. It is generally difficult to draw large audiences for solo performances, so the question was whether the draw was the 'cello suites themselves, or perhaps was it stimulated by the very recent book, The Cello Suites: J. S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece, by Eric Siblin? I'll write about this book once I have read it.Something I have noticed is that not everyone appreciates the 'cello suites equally. If you are a 'cellist, I don't doubt that they are the penultimate oeuvre for Bach, if not all of music. If you are a keyboard player, they may be viewed as not not "sophisticated enough." While lacking contrapuntal complexity, they embody the best of Bach's tunefulness and both harmonic and technical resourcefulness.
Those who follow this blog know that I eventually returned to the zither. Indeed, I am studying the first 'cello suite on it. I can't resist concluding with a video of Harald Oberlechner performing the prelude:
