Steven Isserlis, Richard Egarr - Gamba Sonatas: Bach, Handel, Scarlatti (2015)

None of the music on this release by cellist Steven Isserlis is played on the viola da gamba, and the majority of it was probably not even written for the instrument: the Bach Sonata for viola da gamba and harpsichord, BWV 1027, and perhaps the other two Bach sonatas, were originally written for other instruments. Nothing is done, however, that Bach or Handel might not have done, and the results are splendid. Isserlis' cello is not an imitation of the gamba, but a modern instrument, full-throated and warm in the slow movements. It is in the fugal outer movements of the Bach pieces, and in the inexorable forward movement of a transcribed Handel Violin Sonata in G minor, HWV 364b, that Isserlis and harpsichordist Richard Egarr really excel; some of the Bach counterpoint, with Egarr flying high above Isserlis' singing cello (sample the opening movement of the Bach Sonata in G minor, BWV 1029), achieves a level of ecstasy heard in only the top level of Bach performances. The sonata by Domenico Scarlatti recorded here does not work quite as well; the evidence for the hypothetical violin part (here transcribed for cello) is rather thin, and the piece does not rest so well under the fingers as the balance of the music. The final set of variations is attractive, though, and it's rare that you get to hear Bach and Scarlatti, both born in 1685, in the same breath. The whole project, typical of Isserlis' programming boldness, is greater than the sum of its parts, and Hyperion's engineers outdo themselves at their favored chamber venue, Potton Hall in Suffolk. Highly recommended.

Review by James Manheim, Allmusic.com

None of these pieces was written for cello and harpsichord, and at no stage does that matter one bit. Bach’s sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord may not have been conceived for that combination but they are such sublime creations that the identity of the instruments is perhaps the last thing that should worry us. Rather, it is the performers’ musicianship that counts, and in this case that is of high quality indeed.

Steven Isserlis makes no attempt to make his cello imitate the wispy resonance of the gamba, instead claiming the music for his instrument with vigorously articulated lines, robust technical athleticism and ravishing cantabile. Indeed, it is this wondrous singing quality—which never loses its bearing and employs vibrato only as one of its discreet expressive elements—that stands out in these performances, its presence felt above all in the slow movements, of course, but also constantly governing the sense of line in busier ones. Also telling is the profound awareness of architecture and the inter-relationship of movements, for instance in the gathering joy with which the finale of BWV1027 picks us off the floor following the sudden shaft of desolation that has ended the preceding Andante (astutely likened by Isserlis to ‘Es ist vollbracht’ from the St John Passion). In short, these are full-blooded but sensitive readings which, far from being contrary to Bach’s spirit, seem rather to magnify it.

Isserlis is excellently partnered at every turn by Richard Egarr’s bustling harpsichord-playing, though I would have liked a greater presence for it in the balance to give more definition to the unsupported bass-line. In the two non-Bach items—sonatas probably originally conceived for violin and continuo by Handel and Scarlatti (the latter working up a fiery head)—the balance works better, with Egarr typically inventive and Robin Michael’s lightly drawn doubling of the bass adding just enough weight without drawing attention to itself. Otherwise, they show the same quality in performance as the Bach—namely first-class.

Review by Lindsay Kemp, Gramophone

Exact Audio Copy V1.1 from 23. June 2015

EAC extraction logfile from 2. December 2015, 21:09

Steven Isserlis, Richard Egarr / Bach, Handel, Scarlatti - Gamba Sonatas

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==== Log checksum 4AEF3B191F6CC5879B8CD82D98DD250FD8DEBBC1345A5C99F4DB8F5702DDB6CE ====

foobar2000 1.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2016-11-22 02:26:59

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Steven Isserlis, Richard Egarr / Bach, Handel, Scarlatti - Gamba Sonatas
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR16 -2.81 dB -24.43 dB 3:35 01-Bach: Sonata in G major, BWV 1027 - 1. Adagio
DR12 -7.07 dB -21.61 dB 3:22 02-Bach: Sonata in G major, BWV 1027 - 2. Allegro ma non tanto
DR11 -10.43 dB -26.73 dB 2:32 03-Bach: Sonata in G major, BWV 1027 - 3. Andante
DR12 -2.59 dB -19.20 dB 3:04 04-Bach: Sonata in G major, BWV 1027 - 4. Allegro moderato
DR13 -3.72 dB -20.79 dB 4:57 08-Bach: Sonata in G minor, BWV 1029 - 1. Vivace
DR15 -6.75 dB -25.71 dB 5:01 09-Bach: Sonata in G minor, BWV 1029 - 2. Adagio
DR13 -1.61 dB -19.60 dB 3:49 10-Bach: Sonata in G minor, BWV 1029 - 3. Allegro
DR12 -10.60 dB -27.42 dB 1:40 15-Bach: Sonata in D major, BWV 1028 - 1. [Adagio]
DR13 -4.44 dB -21.35 dB 3:34 16-Bach: Sonata in D major, BWV 1028 - 2. [Allegro]
DR12 -6.62 dB -26.34 dB 4:07 17-Bach: Sonata in D major, BWV 1028 - 3. Andante
DR13 -6.02 dB -21.39 dB 3:54 18-Bach: Sonata in D major, BWV 1028 - 4. Allegro
DR11 -12.43 dB -27.26 dB 2:54 19-Bach: Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 12
Official DR value: DR13

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 772 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Steven Isserlis, Robin Michael, Richard Egarr / Bach, Handel, Scarlatti - Gamba Sonatas
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR11 -6.62 dB -21.11 dB 2:59 05-Scarlatti: Sonata in D minor, Kk 90 - 1. Grave
DR12 -1.49 dB -17.34 dB 4:29 06-Scarlatti: Sonata in D minor, Kk 90 - 2. Allegro
DR12 -3.16 dB -19.96 dB 3:20 07-Scarlatti: Sonata in D minor, Kk 90 - 3. Largo - Allegro
DR13 -3.81 dB -21.46 dB 1:58 11-Handel: Violin Sonata in G minor, HWV 364b - 1. Andante larghetto
DR12 -2.07 dB -17.91 dB 1:41 12-Handel: Violin Sonata in G minor, HWV 364b - 2. Allegro
DR11 -7.86 dB -24.22 dB 0:43 13-Handel: Violin Sonata in G minor, HWV 364b - 3. Adagio
DR11 -3.15 dB -18.85 dB 2:11 14-Handel: Violin Sonata in G minor, HWV 364b - 4. Allegro
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 7
Official DR value: DR12

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 772 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================