Susan Sheppard. Bach Cello Suites. Metronome CD 1034/5. Released 1999.
Recorded Claydon house Buckinghamshire over 6 days in 1998.
Instrumentation: Contemporary copies of period baroque four and five string cellos. Tuned to A415 pitch.
The Cellist.
Susan Sheppard is clearly a well respected Baroque expert. She enjoys a lengthy career spanning most United Kingdom based activities in this sphere. This useful biog suggests Ms Sheppard was one of the first female cellists to record the complete cello suites.
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Sheppard-Susan.htm
It appears she was pipped to the post by Annlies Schmidt who beat her by 40 odd years. Schmidt is also credited with the first recording using a 5 string cello in the 6th Suite. There appear to been only two or three others in between. More recently, there has been a positive avalanche of excellent recordings by women, so she certainly marks the turning of the tide as it were.
The Recording.
There are excellent notes provided by Ms Sheppard herself, the only disappointment being scanty information about the set up of her cellos. I can only assume she did not use an endpin and did use a baroque bow, but no indication of how the bow was handled. I could not find any videos or indeed performance images on the web.
This recording is certainly impressive with modest echo and broad soundstage with excellent dynamics. The cellos used have a slightly strident quality to the sound but impress with sweetness in higher registers.
The most impressive aspect of these recordings is the steady rise and fall of the phrasing right the way through the six suites. This, together with great sense of rhythm gives the pieces that sense of purpose and direction of travel which is so important in my opinion.
There is a pulse that is detectable even in the slower movements. In some recordings, the contrast of tempo between Courantes and Sarabandes is so dramatic, one can be unsettled. However, Ms Sheppard judges this just right so everything feels as if it has its place.
As one would expect with a Baroque style, there is plenty of ornamentation, mainly in repeat sections. Chords are broken rather than played with double stopping which I find more pleasing to the ear. This I believe would be tied in with the technique of bowing which would make double stopped chords difficult.
The Preludes of the third and fourth Suites are highlights for me. I enjoy the lovely polyphonic sound in the mid section of the former and great rhythm in the latter. The fifth Sarabande always a favourite is delivered quite briskly but with an ethereal ghostly sound which is very atmospheric.
In Conclusion.
The only criticism I have of this performance is that in the Courantes especially there is loss of definition of the notes in the fast passages. Personally, I would have prefer a slightly slower pace with more clear articulation. Nevertheless, for me, one of the most enjoyable Baroque performances I have heard.
Charles.