Bach: Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Cembalo

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Bach's gamba sonatas are usually heard on the cello or viola today, though for the latter, their register is low and some notes are entirely beyond its range. This confronts violists with the choice of transposing their part an octave up and playing on the bright-sounding high strings, or staying in the gamba register and playing on the subdued-sounding low strings. Most players choose the former, more brilliant alternative, but Kim Kashkashian opts for the less traveled, more difficult road, transposing up only where the part goes below her reach. Taking authenticity even further, she tunes a half-step down to match the harpsichord, and plays almost without vibrato. All this gives her tone a singularly pure, but also muted and somewhat unvaried quality, while the cembalo sounds strangely reverberant, so the blend between a real and a half-real Baroque instrument is still problematic. However, the players' stylistic and musical integrity, their rapport and unanimity of articulation, phrasing, and expression, as well as the technical perfection of their execution, are totally admirable. The performance may be unusual, but it's stamped by personal conviction and involvement. --Edith Eisler

Tracks:

Son No.4 in C, BWV 529: Allegro
Son No.4 in C, BWV 529: Largo
Son No.4 in C, BWV 529: Allegro
Son No.1 in G, BWV 1027: Adagio
Son No.1 in G, BWV 1027: Allego Ma Non Tanto
Son No.1 in G, BWV 1027: Andante
Son No.1 in G, BWV 1027: Allegro Moderato
Son No.2 in D, BWV 1028: Adagio
Son No.2 in D, BWV 1028: Allegro
Son No.2 in D, BWV 1028: Andante
Son No.2 in D, BWV 1028: Allegro
Son No.3 in g, BWV 1029: Vivace
Son No.3 in g, BWV 1029: Adagio
Son No.3 in g, BWV 1029: Allegro

Amazon.com essential recording

Bach, like Handel and most other baroque composers, often reused compositions, either adapting and assembling portions of them to make new "compilation" works (as with the four short Masses) or rearranging them for other forces (as with the violin concertos Bach rearranged as harpsichord concertos). Bach's three sonatas for viola da gamba and keyboard are just such rearrangements, all of trio sonatas for two melody instruments and continuo. This means that the keyboard isn't just harmonic accompaniment: It's a second melody instrument, an equal duet partner with the gamba. This can be difficult for a harpsichordist to pull off successfully, because the harpsichord can't sustain a note or vary its volume. (Bach didn't specify which keyboard instrument to use, however, and there are other interesting period instrument options possible.) Ton Koopman does his instrument proud, though--he's more famous now as a Bach conductor, but he came to prominence as a harpsichordist and organist, and his sparkling performance here shows why. Jordi Savall is probably the only viola da gamba player to have become famous beyond the small world of early-instrument aficionados. Granted, that's partly due to his conducting career, but no one can make this rather introverted instrument sing quite like Savall can. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

superb artistry and delicious tone.......2005-11-21

There is a large number of recordings of these pieces available today, but I would say this ranks as one of the finest, if not THE finest, available. Jordi Savall has a wonderful way of making the viola da gamba sound as well as it can all the time, and even in the most virtuosic passages of these pieces there isn't any "scratchy" playing like you will find in recordings by lesser gambists. Also present is the great sense of musicianship and sensitivity one would expect from Savall.

Ton Koopman is among the most famous harpsichordists and Baroque conductors in the world today, and he certainly does justice to the keyboard parts, which unlike most contemporary Baroque sonatas, are far more than mere accompaniment or continuo parts. Bach wrote a true trio texture here, and while I would wish that some of the harpsichord lines could come out more, others have written that the harpsichord is more present than in other recordings, so perhaps as a harpsichordist myself(and gambist) I am just being picky!

I own hundreds of dollars worth of Savall CDs and I would recommend this one just as heartily as the others. A great treat is the arrangement of the C major organ tio sonata for alto viol and harpsichord: perhaps the only "alto viola da gamba" sonata recording you can find. The now-rare instrument sounds beautiful and has a singing tone with lots of resonance in the lower range...a little like a viola but with a more transparent and clear tone.

Not your grandmother's period performance.......2002-08-06

Delicious. Despite the remarkable artistry that has come into the historical performance world in the past several decades, we've had to wait for this to hear the first truly remarkable recording of the gamba sonatas (although the Bylsma/van Asperen experiment impresses too). These little gems are fantastic-- much larger in scope and depth than the humble (to those who have not heard it) instrumentation would suggest. And, Koopman and Savall have thrown in a reworking of the similarily structured C-major trio sonata for organ to the CD's tremendous advantage.

The best period recording of these works available.......2002-04-03

This has to be considered the definitive recording of the Bach gamba sonatas. Savall and Koopman are arguably the finest gamba and harpsichord players, respectively, in the world. The balance is slightly more harpsichord-heavy than is typically heard, but it allows both hands of the keyboard a chance at equality. Rather than be a viol accompanied by two keyboard lines, this is three individual lines of music, and Koopman is skilled enough to make it work. Listen for a few painfully long resolutions on half-cadences at the end of slow movements. It's the nice kind of pain. The addition of an arrangement of an organ sonata as a sort of fourth viola da gamba sonata is a pleasant treat.

For those of you who don't know these works, this is essential listening. The three gamba sonatas are among the last great pieces written for the instrument, which subsequently went out of style until relatively recently.

Superb.......2001-03-10

Savall and Koopman first recorded the three gamba sonatas over twenty years ago, so this new version was already up against stiff competition from the same pair of musicians. But what a revelation! While the two work together splendidly, the contrast between their approaches is what makes the collaboration so perfect. And, as one might expect, the added experience both have beind them make for a more relaxed, though hardly less engaging, performance. Savall's dynamic subtleties are matched by Koopman's strongly rhetorical approach and tighty controlled ornamentation. As an added bonus, one of the six trio sonatas (originally for organ) is added to fill out the disc. While there are plenty of recordings of these works in the catalogue, including excellent modern instrument performances by the likes of Kim Kashkashian on viola and many 'cellists, these should easily be THE performances to have, and not just for period-performance buffs.

Bach: Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Cembalo

Average customer rating:

At least they tried...
a sound beyond!!

Bach: Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Cembalo

Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000025FOY
Release Date: 2000-03-07

Tracks:

Sonata in G BWV 1027 - Adagio
Allegro ma non tanto
Andante
Allegro moderator
Sonata in D BWV 1028 - Adagio
Allegro
Andante
Allegro
Sonata in G minor BWV 1029 - Vivace
Adagio
Allegro

Amazon.com

Bach's gamba sonatas are usually heard on the cello or viola today, though for the latter, their register is low and some notes are entirely beyond its range. This confronts violists with the choice of transposing their part an octave up and playing on the bright-sounding high strings, or staying in the gamba register and playing on the subdued-sounding low strings. Most players choose the former, more brilliant alternative, but Kim Kashkashian opts for the less traveled, more difficult road, transposing up only where the part goes below her reach. Taking authenticity even further, she tunes a half-step down to match the harpsichord, and plays almost without vibrato. All this gives her tone a singularly pure, but also muted and somewhat unvaried quality, while the cembalo sounds strangely reverberant, so the blend between a real and a half-real Baroque instrument is still problematic. However, the players' stylistic and musical integrity, their rapport and unanimity of articulation, phrasing, and expression, as well as the technical perfection of their execution, are totally admirable. The performance may be unusual, but it's stamped by personal conviction and involvement. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

At least they tried..........2005-08-12

I'm a viola instructor and viola da gamba player, and I have experience playing Baroque viola (via Oberlin). I've played these sonatas on three instruments, so I definitely understand the challenge faced on each. Kim plays these sonatas very well from a technical standpoint, and I applaud that. Her choice of only transposing up when absolutely necessary I admire in that she is trying to play these as 'gambistic' as possible given the range limitations of viola. This is, as the amazon reviewer said, definitely 'the road less traveled.' This is a good resource for violists who are searching for a recording of these sonatas that is actually played on their own instrument. But in keeping with this, I would recommend that any violist who purchases this recording have either the original gamba part to follow or else to purchase the Bärenreiter Urtext edition, which does the smallest amount of transposition in the viola part (perhaps that's what Kim was playing from).

My only beef comes from my being a HIPPO (Historically Informed Performance Police Officer). :-) Kim, I really admire that you tuned down to A 415 to match the harpsichord. I give you props for that. I admire that you toned down the vibrato a LITTLE (and I emphasize LITTLE). But that doesn't make it an accurate historically-informed performance. The vibrato needs to be toned down further, and you seriously need to get a Baroque bow and gut strings. I would say this to any violist who made such a recording. Please, folks, let's just play it the way that it was meant to be played. Most people don't realize this, but using a Baroque bow, taking off the chinrest and the shoulder pad, as well as using gut strings with NO fine tuners (or else your strings will break) makes a HUGE difference. I know this from first-hand experience. The instrument is completely different sounding. There is so much more resonance, subtlety, and heterogeny of tone colors. It really is a different instrument. Not only that, but it is then true to the composer's original desires. However, as I mentioned, Kim DID tune down to A 415 and did curtail her vibrato a little. I thank you for that, Kim. Most modern violists wouldn't do that. In fact, most would probably play with a piano and use Primrose/schmaltz-style vibrato on anything longer than a sixteenth note.

I'd really recommend, to violists, cellists, and those of us few gamba players out there, Catharina Meints' and Jordi Savall's (both are viola da gamba players extraordinaire) recordings of these sonatas. They interpret them very differently, but you can hear how the original sonatas were meant to sound on the original instruments from two great players.

a sound beyond!!.......2000-09-07

if three of a perfect pair had not appeared as the title of a record in the past it is likely I would abuse the term. Kim, Keith and Johann make it happen here. The approach of Kashkashian and Jarrett to these obligato sonatas is cheerful, refreshing and I dare say full of love. Although the record is quite short, roughly 38 minutes, the musical impression it leaves on is of great magnitude. The sound is quite impressive as well.

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