Winona Zelenka. Bach Cello Suites.
Winona Zelenka. Marquis recordings. 7747181509. Released 2010. Recorded between 2008 and 2010.
“The cello used in this recording was made in 1707 by Joseph Guarnerius of Cremona, Italy.”
See review and links for details of recording.
Introduction.
At the outset of this review, I feel inspired to nail my colours to the mast. This is the most musical rendition of the Suites that I have yet to hear. Before writing this comment, I checked the understanding of what characterises a good musical performance. This is I feel as good a definition as one needs.
Gerry Ansel, Master of Communications Music Performance writes:
- The performer must make the piece (she/)he’s playing his own. (She/)He must have a point of view and it must come across in his performance. The opposite would be a cookie cutter performance – one that sounds like thousands of others.
- The performance must make you think. It must challenge you, but in a good way. You must come away from the experience with keener insights to the human experience.
This recording ticks all the boxes. Great sound, technical skill, and phrasing, but much more; it keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is coming next. There are surprises, there are exciting moments and there are moments of sadness and reflection.
I am not going to detail any of the evidence I could give to justify these statements as I would really like the enthusiastic listener to discover and confirm for themselves these impressions which are, at the end of the day personal. It is a bit like not wishing to give too much away about a story line or how a film ends.
The Cellist.
The recording notes by Zelenka herself give clues as to how this has all arisen. She describes lessons by Starker and William Pleeth who could not be more contrasting in their teaching styles. She outlines influence by Bylsma and Paolo Pandolfo an Italian Viola da Gamba player. The impression I gain from listening to the recording and reading the notes is that Zelenka has taken the best bits from all her teachers and influences. She then melds them into a performance which is not purist, but certainly emotionally hugely stimulating.
Sometimes one is persuaded that this is an authentic Baroque recording. Sometimes it could be a modern romantic interpretation, but never with intrusive vibrato.
The tone and richness of sound is not quite as impressive as Bylsma’s second recording of the suites with the Servais Stradivarius. The faster dance movements are not quite as agile as those played by Wispelwey, and the Sarabandes are not quite as sensuous as by Isserlis.
However, it is the bringing together of all of these attributes and then adding impressive phrasing, and dynamics that makes the performance outstanding.
Lastly, the contrast between first and second renditions of each repeat make for a fascinating listen. Technically very challenging passages of quiet double stoping impress greatly.
I feel it important to point out the influence and involvement of Dr and Mrs Pong in this recording. They clearly are great patrons of music and have been involved in at least the loan of the former Starker Guarnerius Cello, as well as the actual recording of the performance.
A new use of the swimming pool!
As far as I can tell this took place in Dr Pong’s swimming pool! Boarded over apparently but still full. Dr Pong would appear to be a hugely successful orthodontic surgeon, but also a very capable maker of string instruments, an enthusiast of audiophile recording and replay equipment and all round good egg! I have included links below which give far more insight. He and his wife must be the modern equivalent to the patrons that supported Bach and his contemporaries.
https://www.dagogo.com/interview-with-dr-edward-pong-of-ultraanalogue-recordings/
https://ultraanaloguerecordings.com/new/about-ultraanalogue-recordings/
Conclusion.
Lastly, I believe this to be a very honest recording. There are imperfections but the understanding I have is that there is minimal editing used in the recording. In the notes it says: “This recording was made in a natural acoustic setting and recorded in high definition without the use of added effects or reverb, in order to capture the true sound of the instrument”. This perhaps raises issues about other recordings which can sound very impressive but possibly at the cost of using various technical gadgetry.
A 96KHz, 24bit download is also available. I for one shall be purchasing one of those when I have a DAC capable of dealing with that!
Charles.
Winona Zelenka Six Suites for Solo Cello (Marquis 774718150929) Rec.2008-2010
Introduction.
I purchased and then lent this relatively unknown recording to my fellow reviewer. As a result, he was so impressed, he got in a review first!
There is much with which I agree. Further, he fills in blanks on the cellist’s background, so there will be some repetition here. C’est La Vie!
The Cellist.
Zelenka is another example of the great musicians Canada seems to have no trouble producing across all musical genres. Many of these though, like Zelenka, tend to go under the radar in terms of European recognition. In classical terms alone, along with Zelenka’s there is her fellow cellist Shauna Rolston (e.g. her Elgar concerto) , and violinists Lara St. John (anything by Bach) and Catherine Manoukian (Elgar again). Zelenka herself was fairly precocious playing her 1st Bach Suite by age 10 and all of them by 13, when she also made her public concerto debut.
Her accompanying notes to the Bach avoid the typical dissection of the Suites and instead explain to us her musical journey culminating in her recorded interpretations.
This journey included initial familiarity with Casals’ version, followed by tuition with different emphases including Orloff (romantic bias), Starker (clarity and technique) and Pleeth (communicating the music behind the notes). A formidable crew indeed! She is also influenced by Pandolfo, the historically informed Viola da Gamba player. Zelenka describes the culmination of these studies in this way. “I’ve come to appreciate the use of the cello not just as a melodic instrument but as a sort of vibraphone where you can activate many overtones, allowing the sound to become so much freer and more complex….”. To a great degree she has met this brief in her recordings.
The Recording.
First Suite.
Turning to the 1st Suite, the Prelude is well paced with effective holds on the top notes in rising phrases. The following Allemande explores the rasping sounds as well as the warm tones of the cello. The Courante has good light and shade.
But by this stage, a familiar bete noire was raising its head i.e. mechanical finger tapping on the wood. This surprised me, as there is no sense of this recording being particularly closely miked, or forward in any way. Unfortunately, it does make its presence known frequently throughout this recording. On the contrary, a very natural acoustic seems to have been achieved, with the cello solidly centred but a nice ambience to the acoustic allowing fade in the notes, whilst avoiding Cathedral like echoes. In other words sensibly proportioned for solo cello music.
The Sarabande felt mournful and deeply considered. In the 2nd Minuet a lovely gentle lilting bounce was achieved. Finally we have a Gigue which is allowed to decay away on the last note, nicely closing off the Suite.
Third Suite.
As presented on the recording the 3rd Suite followed. Following a bold entry to the Prelude, it settles into a fairly stately pace allowing emphasis on dynamic contrasts and overtones to come through clearly. In fact this pattern is established throughout the Suites as these are neither bold and meaty, nor quicksilver in approach. They are sensibly measured and proportioned, avoiding over egging the pudding in favour of one particular style.
I have to say this appealed, as Zelenka often seems to be recreating the pieces as she goes along and yet always remains mindful of the texts. Her Courante in this suite is bouncy, and goes at a decent lick, but always with clear note articulation.
In the Sarabande the reverse happens as time seems to slow down, with lovely sustained notes on phrase endings, chords filling out, and subtle dynamic contrasts. The Gigue is a good gallop, but not overly fast, except when Zelenka is revelling in the faster bow strokes as the opportunity arises.
Fifth Suite.
Turning to the 5th Suite, I didn’t feel quite as inspired by the first 3 movements, but the Sarabande is a gem. There is a real sense of calm and peace here, with beautiful use of rubato. The diminuendo and rallentando applied to the closing phrases is quite magical. I think the 1st Gavotte here is maybe a little lacking in pace and thrust, but then in the 2nd the sudden swarm of wasps appearing to arrive from the distance provides excellent contrast. The closing Gigue is moderately paced, and there is great attention to the sound. Dynamic variation, colouring and overtones all present and correct. It just lacked a little excitement.
Second Suite.
The pattern continues in the 2nd Suite. In the Allemande she works in long unbroken lines with rubato and tonal variety. In fact she seems to be recreating it as she goes along. I wrote down the words “fantasia” and “nice”, the latter of which which perhaps undersells it! A success…..The following Courante is spirited and provides nice (there’s that word again…) contrast with the following Sarabande. Here she lingers just that bit longer than most in the ornaments to good effect, and takes time to savour the incidental harmonics inherent in the piece.
The Gigue had plenty of variety in it and felt just right, but the dreaded tapping was a bit prominent again……
Fourth Suite.
In the 4th Suite Prelude, Zelenka opts for short staccato notes when some prefer a longer more sustained approach, but it’s really a matter of choice here. The Allemande has a fairly sedate underlying pace, and yet never feels slow…go figure! The Courante has prominent tapping again, whereas the Sarabande is noteworthy for its harmonies to the fore, and an appropriate chamber sized conception. In the Bourees, the return of the 2nd one followed a particularly effective diminuendo.
Sixth Suite.
By the time the 6th Suite arrived I quickly thought this was representing a culmination of all that had gone before. The slightly odd thing is that it was the first one she recorded! Be that as it may. In the Prelude Zelenka adopts a lighter, less thick sound than many, which again pays dividends in clarity. The Allemande is wonderful with again a real sense of it being thought through on the spot, but no inappropriate liberties being taken.
Following this the Courante arrives like a freight train, but yet again with admirable articulation. The Sarabande flows not plodding, sad but not desolate. This time I wrote down “just right” and “gorgeous”. The Gavottes I did find a bit to stately for me, but the closing Gigue whilst moderately paced is well proportioned and a suitable conclusion in that it reflects the deeply considered, none cookie cutter approach, that Zelenka applies throughout.
Conclusion.
As to this recording’s position in the pantheon, I have to admit that the intrusive tapping does, unlike my fellow reviewer, preclude my ranking of it as top of the table. However, it’s uniqueness does mean it is a strong contender taken on its own merits. It would take a particularly persuasive person to ever pry it out of my collection. I think that is recommendation enough.
Mark.