Noël Taylor Bach Cello Suites 3 separate volumes of LPs Oryx Bach series 1206-8. Released 1973. Recorded over unspecified 4 year period.
Recording Venues, Suites 1-5 St Andrews Church Enfield. Suite 6 All Saints Church Waldron, Sussex.
Cello played is a 1726 cello by Giovanni Battista Rugeri of Brescia.
The Cellist.
Noël Taylor was born in Canada. He won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London. Following his studies, he played in a number of orchestras in both Canada and England. In the early 70s he appears to have been affected by health problems which derailed his career. He was married for a time to the cellist Anna Shuttleworth. Shuttleworth has written a fairly lengthy notebook of memoirs which reference her time with Taylor. It also includes reflections of contacts and friendships with many other musical celebrities which makes quite interesting reading. However, be warned that particularly on Kindle it barely deserves the description of book. There is quite random editing and really reads like a collection of diary entries. A very good index could be used as a reference book.
Noël Taylor died in 2002 in his early 80s. This recording of the Bach Suites is his only recorded work and was encouraged by friends and colleagues who admired his solo Bach recitals earlier in his career.
The Recording.
The sound of Taylor’s cello is strong and bold for the most part, well presented with a fairly forward presence. Puzzlingly when there is a quiet passage the cello seems to recede into the background almost as if the microphone was moved away. I noted this previously in the Lynn Harrell performance. Perhaps there was a bit of clumsy mixing going on after recording? The style of playing rests in a bygone age with lots of vibrato, exaggerated changes in timing, legato bowing and a forced character to the resonance. I felt there was little rhythmicity and certainly no sense of momentum. There are quite often pauses which seem to stop the music in its tracks.
Vol 1
In the first suite there is a promising start to the Prelude with pleasing emphasis on the low G in the first few bars but during the middle section the tempo slowed right down and then picked up with a strange double stopping replacing the normal cross string passage from bar 33. The first Sarabande suffers from forced heavy tone and vibrato.
The second Prelude is very much a different kettle of fish with a much lighter sound in general and subdued dynamics reflecting the sombre nature of this movement. The forced tone of the first Suite just creeps into the last few bars. I enjoyed the Allemande and Courante which were played quite lightly (relatively speaking) and with tasteful phrasing. Unfortunately, the Sarabande witnesses the ponderous forced tone of the first Suites to start but then quietens to some very reflective considered passages. The overall slow pace predominates the movement to its detraction.
The Minuets are played in a light brisk manner with a sense of its dance origins. The closing Gigue is not bad but grates with me a bit by starting with the first five notes played very loud and forcefully, like someone lifting a bag of cement up with great effort and then letting it drop to the floor heavily! Otherwise, it is played nimbly and articulated well.
Vol 2
The third Prelude starts with the by now normal loud ponderous opening statement which is played very slowly. Fortunately, it then picks up speed with a lighter touch. Things proceed well until we get to the middle cross string section which sounds similar to the later stages of the first prelude where instead of well-articulated separate notes I hear a drone of double stopping. To make things worse the very forced loud tone makes a reappearance to the end with over emphasised chords. The third Sarabande in contrast to the previous two is played lightly and reflectively, still slowly but a more pleasing sound to the ear. The Gigue is exciting but the sense of urgency is lost due to quirky tempo changes, all a bit idiosyncratic without enhancing the listening experience.
Vol 3
The fourth Suite opens with a familiar firm and rather forced intro but then slips into an easier lighter tone. Some intonation issues now start to appear but the transition to rapid semiquaver passages is quite stylish. The Sarabande is overly slow to my mind, and the first Bourrée is a little smeared in the semiquaver groupings. The Gigue is probably one of the most exciting versions I have heard but is so fast it nearly (only nearly) becomes messy! Probably one of the highlights.
The fifth Suite consistent with performance style so far starts with a grand intro with bold and dramatic chords. It has a rhapsodic mood with lots of dynamics. The fugue I found exciting and varied but with a bit too much rubato for me.
The Allemande has sections that are dramatic but overall seems slow and ponderous. The Courante, Taylor plays with a swashbuckling style but some of the articulation is a little sloppy. Although the Sarabande is played faster than I like it was played lightly which came as a relief and plenty of air between the notes. Again, lots of dynamics.
The first Gavotte sounded significantly flat to me although I lack perfect pitch. Strangely in the final repeat it seems more on key! The second Gavotte seemed to get faster and faster as well as quieter, a bit like a festinating gait suffered by those unfortunate to have Parkinson’s disease.
The Gigue was good with a satisfying rhythmic pace and good articulation. I particularly liked the way the last note was placed!
Finally.
The sixth Prelude is a striking movement at almost any time, but Taylors version is a very individual idiosyncratic affair with very strident introductory bar and then a pianissimo answering bar. This pattern continues throughout. The cello moves forwards and backwards in the soundstage in a very off-putting manner. The challenging technically semiquaver passage towards the end lacks definition and is rushed. The rest of the movements have similar ups and downs. The final Gigue signs off with a further dollop of quirkiness. Each section starts off like a dancer with a limp, no bounce or momentum. When the semiquaver passages are reached the speed picks up dramatically and almost runs away! Very odd!
Conclusion.
This is a very idiosyncratic interpretation by a cellist with the capability of producing a very big sound and some very quiet playing, but it all detracts from the original writing of Bach and left me a bit stunned. I think if I had attended a concert by Taylor playing the Suites I would have enjoyed his performance for its individuality and variety of speeds and dynamics, but I certainly will not be returning to this recording. If anyone would like to buy my 3 records please make me an offer!
Charles.