Rating: 5/5
Review:
An excellent release
I like this disc very much.
I approached it with caution because there are now so many versions of
the Cello Suites of, it has to be said, varying quality, that I wasn't sure
that we needed another. However, I found
Tilman Hoppstock's guitar transcriptions engaging and genuinely original in
places.
Hoppstock has chosen to record the two minor-key Suites, Nos
2 & 5, which aren't the most accessible or popular. He has also recorded Suite No.1 which is a
rather obvious choice, but to his credit has elected not to start with it and
has also made an interesting transcription.
All of the transcriptions hold genuine interest, I think; he has added
significant harmonies throughout, but they all work very well. There are some very interesting deviations
from what I would normally expect. For example, the wonderful Sarabande of
Suite No.5 isn't the introverted, emotionally intense exploration of many cello
interpretations, but to me sounds like an almost frostbitten evocation of ice. I was sceptical about the inclusion of
"Air on a G String" as a "bonus" track, but I loved the
tiptoeing-cat feel of the bass line.
Hoppstock seems to "get" Bach, so that even the
occasional slightly romantic-sounding flourish seems quite appropriate and for
me the spirit of Bach shines through the whole thing. He plays excellently, sailing through the
virtuosic passages with no sense of strain and the sound of his guitar is
lovely. In short, this is an excellent
release which rather surprised me with its quality. Very warmly recommended.
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