Ailbhe MCDonagh Bach Cello Suites.
Steinway&Sons Cat no 30232. Digital download including Hi Res 24bit 96Hz. Auditioned on Presto streaming with 24/96 quality. Available on CD direct from the artist.
Recorded. August 15th-22nd 2022
Recording Venue. TU Dublin Concert Hall, Dublin, Ireland
Cello played. Andrea Postacchini 1833.
Introduction.
A most welcome development which comes with the Presto Classical streaming service is a digital booklet! This is something of an omission in this digital age until now, as it leaves the enquiring listener floundering on the internet trying to find out when and where and upon what the music has been created. In addition, commentary from the artist is most insightful into the thought processes behind the recording.
In this case two key pieces of information apart from a brief resume of the performer’s career are firstly, she is the first Irish cellist to record the Suites. Then secondly, as seems most appropriate given the nature of Irish music, Ailbhe has aligned the last movement of each Suite, the gigs to a traditional Irish gig style.
The recording.
Also, within the notes the artist has expressed the desire to reproduce the “raw, true sound” of how she performs the Suites in concert. Although the venue of the recording is a concert Hall, I could detect no significant room ambience. The acoustic is very dry, which is no bad thing as large amounts of echo and reverberation have spoilt many recordings. However, it seems to me that this creates for the artist a bit of an uphill struggle as the sound seems quite thin and lacking impact in places. The range of the cello seems a little limited with lower registers not sounding as full and deep as I would like and the top registers being a little raspy and not as smooth either. Of course, this could be the result of a wide number of factors not the least being my own ears and sound equipment! However, having listened to well over a hundred recordings of the Suites on my current sound system I think I am entitled to conclude that at least some of the issue is with the recording/cello/performer. Essentially, there are other recordings for those who seek the best cello sound and presentation.
The music.
As mentioned above, the cellist pins her colours to the mast in declaring in the notes her quest to convey the raw true sound of a concert performance. I feel she succeeds in that the listener is treated to a very accurate rendition of the music available. The intonation and articulation are very precise for the majority of the time. Phrasing whilst being rather conventional sounds considered and careful to my ears. The dynamics are there but not exaggerated. With timing, there is an absence of marked rubato, but it is certainly not metronomic.
As might be expected, the gigues are the highlight of this performance being lively, rhythmic and vibrant.
The second Suite Prelude sounds very lyrical which I suspect reflects the Irish love of melody.
There is however, the feeling I have of something missing. This may be a down to an impression of slight lack of conviction and gap between the listener and performer. Having listened several times, I have enjoyed the playing but have not felt gripped. There is nothing that puts me off but equally nothing to grab my attention.
Conclusion.
A decent performance but unfortunately not a lot to make this recording stand out from the very large crowd.
Charles.