Sergei Istomin. Bach Cello Suites. Analekta FL 2 3114-5. CD 24 bit mastering.
Released 2004. Recorded 1997 St John’s Church Ontario.
Cellos played: Baroque Cello from 1994 and Baroque bow. Cello Piccolo from mid 18th century used for sixth Suite. Full details including tuning in booklet.
The Cellist.
Sergei Istomin appears to be an itinerant musician being born in Russia, moving to Canada and more recently based in Europe. From his personal web site: https://www.sergei-istomin.com he is clearly a Baroque specialist playing both Viola da Gamba and cello. However, his discography would suggest he does not confine himself to this era of music.
The Recording.
Its intriguing to ponder quite why it took six years for this recording to be released and its possible it was released in some form earlier than 2004, but I could not find any record of this. The CD cover boasts 24 bit remastering and in this case I have to say it impresses with very clear sound and plenty of room around the cello. There is plenty of resonance, capturing the harmonics but little in the way of extraneous sound. The modern Baroque cello used has an impressive tone, reflecting well on both the player and the luthier. The Cello Piccolo used in the sixth Suite seemed a bit less mellow and more coarse sounding in the upper registers.
The Music.
With full Baroque set up and focus on early music I expected a typical Historically Informed Performance (HIP). Stereotypically in my mind that would be a very rhythmic well-articulated performance, but with a raspy quality to the cello, lots of breathing sounds due to close microphone use, and generally fast speeds. With this performance, what I hear is a very pleasing reverberating cello with plenty of harmonics, but little coarseness bar the sixth Suite. The mood is rather laid back, reflective and deliberate. This is deceptive as overall this is a speedy performance!
There is significant flexibility with the timing and noticeable gaps between phrases, but the coherence and pulse of the music is maintained well. After listening to the first three Suites, I felt relaxed and satisfied. This is clearly a highly subjective view and difficult to analyse quite why, but I have learnt to trust my instincts!
The detail.
The very first bar of the first Prelude made me sit up. The first eight notes are repeated within the bar and normally the second eight notes are played exactly the same as the first. Istomin makes a very clear echo here without disrupting the flow. It seems a very obvious musical enhancement, but I have never been aware of it being used by other performers! Another small but impactful feature was in the third Suite gigue. Here, whenever there was a repeated quaver note, Istomin noticeably leans into the second one. It seems to enhance the rhythmicity. This movement was noticeable for lacking any untidiness in the cross-string passages even though taken at a fair lick.
The fourth Suite Prelude was brisk and lightly played, which I tend to favour. This is in contrast to the heavy sounding more ponderous slower versions from some performers in the 1980s.
The fifth Prelude I enjoyed as the polyphonic nature of the music particularly in the fugue section was brought out well by the resonance and well captured harmonics of the recording. Then came an unexpectedly fast Allemande. I suspect this may be the fastest I have heard shaving almost a minute off the first Wispelwey recording. As many will know Wispelwey is no slouch! I am not sure this worked and certainly heard no new insights into this rendition. The well known Sarabande of the fifth Suite was also played fast in fact twice as fast as Wispelwey! This time I thought it did give greater prominence to the chord progressions but do prefer it played slower.
Finale.
On to the sixth Suite which is in D major not minor as listed in the booklet! I did feel the impact was reduced by the different instrument used, but the sparkling nature of this Suite still came out well. The second Gavotte sounds more like a Hurdy Gurdy than any other performance I know of!
Conclusion.
I enjoyed this performance a great deal. I have some reservations, but I suggest it is well worth exploring. Reflecting on the whole recording, whilst it is definitely a Baroque instrument and set up, quite a lot of the style is that of a mainstream romantic rendition, with legato playing and dynamic contrasts. This, in contrast to a modern set up playing in Baroque style. It just goes to show how difficult it is to pigeonhole recordings into one style or another. Perhaps I should stop trying as it is a lazy way out of describing the features of the recording reviewed!
Charles.