Guido Schiefen Bach Cello Suites.. Arte Nova Classics 74321 39045 2.
Released 1996.
Recorded March 1996 Tonstudio van Geest, Sandhausen.
No details available of cello played.
The Cellist.
Guido Schiefen was born in 1968 and initially played violin before moving onto the cello. He has won a number of prizes in his youth including 5th at the ninth International Tchaikovsky competition. He has no less than 30 CD releases to his credit including chamber music of all periods. I found this particularly exciting video on YouTube. https://youtu.be/LTsoHX5DiPY.
Over time as is often the case he has graduated to teaching gaining a professorial position at Hochschule Luzern-Musik in 2009.
The Recording.
I judge this recording to be of excellent quality, being bright, dynamic and with a lively acoustic. However, this does not seem to impact on the clarity of fast passages and extraneous noises seem minimal. Although there is no cello credit, it has a fine tone particularly in the mid-range with a distinctive “reedy tonality.” The technically accomplished Schiefen is well able to exploit both his cello and the recording team’s assets!
The Music.
Amazingly, after hearing so many recordings there were immediate characteristics of this recording which stood out to me. Not all were positive, but they were consistent across the six Suites.
This is clearly a recording that is in the mainstream and romantic grouping. As such there is plenty of vibrato, moderate flexibility with the timing plenty of dynamics and lots of emotion.
The positives.
This recording has some of the widest ranging dynamics I have heard for this music. Not just loud and soft but crescendos, diminuendos, articulation, legato, aggressive, reflective and many others I probably am too insensitive to appreciate! Some of these are all heard in one movement, for example the sixth Suite Gavottes. They are best put to effect in the second Prelude which slowly works to an impressive climax three quarters of the way in. The fifth Gigue again demonstrates contrasting passages to good effect.
Although the playing does not sound particularly rhythmic as one would expect for instance from a good historically informed recording, there is very rarely lack of momentum or lack of coherence. Strangely, the exception to this is the sixth Gigue where the flow is broken up every two to four bars by significant albeit slight gaps between the phrases. I am perhaps used to this movement being played like a 100m race with barely a breath taken from beginning to end!
Allemandes and Sarabandes are played with great finesse particularly with attention to the ending of notes which taper as well as I have heard anywhere. Sometimes these movements lack a sense of direction due to complex timing, but Schiefen is able to keep the momentum going.
The not so positives.
Unfortunately, there were a number of quirks or characteristics which for me detracted from this recording. Firstly, with few exceptions, many phrases were started or ended with marked emphasis. This tended to jar and was perhaps a case of a good thing in moderation becoming bad in excess.
Elsewhere particularly in the third Gigue where there is double stopping the fierce playing came over as an almost grinding sound. I felt sorry for the cello and bow!
The dynamics again sometimes lacked musical conviction. This has to be a very subjective view but I could imagine that the performer might have sat down with the score in front of him and thought: “How can I make this interesting? How can I vary the repeats? What can I do differently?” In all these areas I would say the performer has succeeded and deserves commendation for doing so. Unfortunately, I appreciated this effort with my mind but not my heart and soul!
Conclusion.
So, in some senses a smorgasbord of a recording. There are aspects I really enjoy and appreciate and yet others like the over emphasis and grinding double stopping that I recoil from. Yet again the advice would be to check it out on a streaming service before buying. One promise. You will not be bored!
Charles.