Plucked Bach

by Alon Sariel

Overview

Although it's true that Bach was an inveterate self-borrower, arrangements of his suites for solo cello (and those for violin) tend to disappoint; the works were carefully composed to push the player to the limits of the solo instrument. These versions by string player Alon Sariel, however, are highly satisfying. There are a couple of stages to Sariel's conquest of the problems involved. First is simply the large variety of instruments he brings to bear. Sariel is a versatile player who has performed and recorded on several different period instruments (and is also a conductor), but here, he outdoes himself with a Baroque guitar, archlute, Cremonese mandolin, Neapolitan mandolin, oud, and liuto attiorbato, the latter is a small lute related to the theorbo. Each instrument adds a layer of musical meaning that replaces Bach's multiple stops on the cello, and the sole appearance of the oud in the reprised Sarabande in the Suite No. 2 for solo cello, BWV 1008, is really quite striking. The second strength of Sariel's readings is his facility as an arranger; he succeeds in replacing Bach's cello sonorities with those distinctive to the instruments he plays. There's also a Mandolin Partita of Sariel's own composition; it is not Bach, of course, but it shares the instrumentally idiomatic virtues of the Bach arrangements. A wonderful recording, full of fresh sounds, that solves the Bach transcription conundrum. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/24/2022
Label:	Pentatone Classics
UPC:	0827949098567
Rank:	61265

Tracks

1. Cello Suite No. 5, BWV 1011~Prelude
2. Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007~Prelude
3. Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007~Allemande
4. Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007~Courante
5. Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007~Sarabande
6. Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007~Menuets I & II
7. Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007~Gigue
8. Cello Suite No. 6, BWV 1012~Gavottes I & II
9. Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008~Prelude
10. Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008~Allemande
11. Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008~Courante
12. Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008~Sarabande
13. Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008~Menuets I & II
14. Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008~Gigue
15. Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008~Sarabande
16. Mandolin Partita~Prelude
17. Mandolin Partita~Allemande
18. Mandolin Partita~Courante
19. Mandolin Partita~Sarabande
20. Mandolin Partita~Menuets I & II
21. Mandolin Partita~Gigue

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Alon Sariel   Primary Artist,Oud,Lute,Archlute,Mandolin,Baroque Guitar

Technical Credits

Lucia Ghielmi   Cover Design
Renaud Loranger   A&R,Executive Producer
Jason Stell   Liner Notes
Kate Rockett   A&R
Silvia Pietrosanti   Marketing
Johann Sebastian Bach   Composer
Kasper van Kooten   Design,Product Manager
Alon Sariel   Arranger,Composer,Liner Notes,Executive Producer,Recording Producer
Stephan Flock   Engineer,Editing Engineer,Mastering Engineer
Sean Hickey   Managing Director