Pieter Wispelwey.
Pieter Wispelwey J S Bach 6 Cello Suites For Cello Solo (Evil Penguin) Rec.2012 EPRC 0012.
The Cellist.
Pieter Wispelwey recorded this his third set of the suites when he was 50 years old. It is a fascinating set to mark that momentous anniversary year with. Wispelwey has recorded widely including composers from the baroque era through to modern times, but there is no doubt that recognition is for his baroque performances and a special affinity for Bach. In fact in the accompanying dvd to this set he declares that he expects to record them a further 3 times!
Live performance.
At the time of the recording he had also performed them live around a thousand times. This familiarity alone (born out of a love for and a never ending study of the suites) means we should take note of his interpretations.
The Recording.
Although he is equally adept on a modern cello, not surprisingly he elected for a baroque cello (Rombouts, 1710) for this set. This is apart from opting for a piccolo cello for the 6th Suite. What surprises though is the choice of a radical tuning pitch for the strings. A modern cello is normally tuned to A = 440hz. For baroque pieces, cellos are not uncommonly tuned a bit lower, typically A = 415hz. However, Wispelwey opts for 392hz, in the belief that this was the typical tuning frequency in Cothen at the time that Bach composed his pieces there. This is practically a full tone below normal pitch. It has some interesting effects on the sound (although not one I had anticipated) as I will comment on below.
Call in the experts.
Despite his familiarity with the suites, Wispelwey chose to use the pre eminent Bach scholars Laurence Dreyfuss and John Butt. They acted as consultants and confidants in his preparation for this third set of recordings.
Impact of tuning.
So what are the impacts of the lower tuning frequency adopted? Surprisingly, given my untrained ears, I never at any point felt the lower pitch had flattened the performance. For sure I don’t have perfect pitch (perhaps a blessing in this case), but nothing seemed to jar. I suspect that is simply because, despite the tuning down a tone, Wispelwey is still of course playing all the pieces in tune. Therefore, the melody and accompanying parts are all still aligned and flow as normal.
The impact on the sound of the cello itself is another matter entirely. The looser strings resulting from the pitch adjustments gave an earthier sound with more resonance than the modern pitched cello. There was noticeably less smoothness to the sound and a bit more wildness to it. The effects were not unpleasant, and in fact left me constantly wondering during listening sessions what would happen next.
The Music.
I found Wispelwey’s performances quite frenetic with a real sense they were generally pacey readings. A quick comparison with timings of other performer’s recordings proved quite surprising though. Whilst they were for sure faster than the spacious ones adopted by my long term (but not historically informed) reference Mischa Maisky, there were few significant differences with many others.
As a generalisation, Wispelwey is perhaps a little sharper than some on the quick movements. However he can in fact drawn out the slower ones. The 6th Suite Sarabande is a good example of this. He takes a fairly leisurely 5:50 without it seeming to drag to any degree.
The performances as a whole do come across as fairly thick textured (but with lovely overtones) and particularly highlight the bass qualities of the cello.
Lighter sound
However, Wispelwey is quite capable of lightening the sound when he deems it appropriate as evidenced by his performances of the 1st and 4th Suite Preludes.
The latter is a fascinating movement. He clips the notes which in turn generates a bouncy and joyful reading. This seems light years away from the received wisdom of older generation performances. (e.g. Casals, Fournier, Gendron, Rostropovich etc.) They opt for a seamless line.
As an aside, this movement is a very good starting point for a listener in comparing recordings. If you know you have a preference for classical or romantic readings over period ones (or vice versa), this is a quick way of sorting the wheat from the chaff. As for myself I need both! However, I digress….
Conclusion.
Taken as a whole, Wispelwey’s set gave me great enjoyment. It added something extra and new to my explorations.
However, whilst the recording itself has a nice presence giving suitable space around the cello, my old bete noire reared it’s ugly head again. In fact the prominent finger taps on the fingerboard are I believe worse on this set than any I have come across.
By the time of the 6th Suite, it was frankly close to spoiling the whole experience. I appreciate after seven reviews there is a real danger that I am starting to sound like a stuck long playing record. Therefore, I will for future reviews avoid commenting on this particular issue. Instead, readers should assume for any recordings made in the last 20 years or so (which seems to be where the main culprits are) will be adversely affected. Unless that is, I actually comment favourably on the matter. Sadly I don’t expect to be doing so very often…..
Mark.
Pieter Wispelwey Evil Penguin Records Classic EPRC 0012 CD& DVD
Recorded in June 2012 at Serendipitous Studio Mechelen Begium.
Recorded digitally in High resolution 24bit/82.2Hz file
Neumann microphones M 150 & DPA4006
Pre amp Grace design M 802 ( has integrated ADC)
General comments of the recording.
This is Wiselwey’s third recording of the Suites. In essence he continues where he left off with his second recording but develops certain themes much further. The quest for authenticity moves on with use of period instruments, gut strings, and lack of end pin (resting cello between knees with no other support). He uses a baroque bow held further away from the frog, and even the “audacious” decision to tune a semi-tone lower. I use speech marks as in the accompanying DVD Wispelwey himself describes a long process of uncertainty and some anxiety in taking this last step.
The Intepretation.
Overall, in this third recording, the characteristics of the second recording are more pronounced. There are more variations in tempo within each movement. Fast movements mostly are faster, the range of dynamics is greater, and the sonorous sound of gut strings is significantly enhanced by the tuning.
On the positive side, this is a thrilling edge of the seat ride through the Suites and thoroughly engaging.
On the downside, if you find some of the idiosyncrasies of the second recording not to your taste, you may wish to move on.
Regards tempo, this recording has some of the fastest performances I have have heard. No doubt, aided by the use of Baroque bow, specifically the Gavottes in Suite 5. It is interesting to note an exchange on the DVD between John Butt and Wispelwey about speed. Butt makes the very sensible point that the speed of performance needs to be determined by the music itself in terms of the number of notes, the shape and phrasing. He makes the distinction also between actual speed and sense of speed. Comparing the timings of the aforementioned Gavottes on the two recordings, they are exactly the same! However, the more recent recording certainly feels speedier.
Watch this bit in the video yourself to draw your own conclusion about whether you agree with Wispelwey or not!
Conclusion.
It will be most interesting to hear Wispelwey’s next rendition. I am not expecting anything predictable!
Charles.