Apparently, no music could be simpler than these suites, composed for a single, unaccompanied instrument, and each made up of a prelude followed by a series of stylized Baroque dances: allemande, courante, saraband, minuet... more », bourré/e or gavotte, and gigue. Yet each suite, each movement has a striking individuality and each cellist makes the series his own. It is totally objective music and, at the same time, intensely personal. János Starker's view is spare, ascetic, technically flawless, suggesting much more than it says, like a fine line drawing by an old master painter. --Joe McLellan« less
Apparently, no music could be simpler than these suites, composed for a single, unaccompanied instrument, and each made up of a prelude followed by a series of stylized Baroque dances: allemande, courante, saraband, minuet, bourré/e or gavotte, and gigue. Yet each suite, each movement has a striking individuality and each cellist makes the series his own. It is totally objective music and, at the same time, intensely personal. János Starker's view is spare, ascetic, technically flawless, suggesting much more than it says, like a fine line drawing by an old master painter. --Joe McLellan
CD Reviews
Superb Starker, rotten remastering
Thomas Shoebotham | Bay Area CA | 03/14/2000
(2 out of 5 stars)
"These performances of the Bach Suites were wonderful on LP. Unfortunately, whoever was in charge of making the transfer of these recordings on to CD botched horribly and made the entire set sound a half step sharp. For those of us who have listened to and played these works for years, hearing this (eg. Suite No. 1 in G-sharp major!) is most disconcerting.I was so shocked when I first put the CD on I had to run to a friend's house, who still had the LPs, just to see if I had somehow remembered the original sound wrong. No, the LPs were fine, Suite No. 1 is in G major and so on. Starker's new set, on RCA, is wonderful, so perhaps it doesn't matter, but it is still distressing to hear this happen. Why? Why? Why?"
Magnificent - But buy the 2004 SACD release
music fan | 01/08/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Janos Starker has recorded the Bach cello suites five times, and when asked why he has made so many, he said it was because each time he signed with a new record company, they wanted him to do another set(!) His honest, no-nonsense personality shows through in his Bach performances as well. Some claim his approach is too dry and unemotional, but after many years of listening to and playing these suites, his clarity and sense of structure keep me engaged long after I've grown tired of more visceral, "romantic" approaches. Many say this is his best set, but if you chose it, avoid at all costs the CD for sale here and buy the hybrid SACD/CD released in 2004, also available on amazon.com, even though it costs more. The reviewers below (and others) have found this CD to have been recorded a full tone sharp (ugh!). I don't know about that since I don't have it, but the 2004 SACD/CD sounds right on pitch to me."
Epochal performance, poor remastering
Thomas Shoebotham | 12/19/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The reviewer below expresses it best. Starker's Mercury set of the suites is, for most cellists, the gold standard. Technically speaking, they are flawless. Artistically speaking there is laser-beam musical understanding that arcs the entire recording. The later RCA recording is even deeper in understanding, but Starker's Bach is akin to Gould's in this regard: you want both the earlier and the later -- they are both that great.What a shame then that shoddy remastering has put these disks into the realm of the unlistenable. Anyone who is intimate with these pieces will notice immediately (as the prior reviewer did) that they are sharp. It is so distracting that I cannot bear to put the disk in the player. A next to criminal moment in the rush to cash in on the LP to CD bonanza!Performance: 5+ Stars; remastering: 0 Stars."
Wonderful
JP Nightingale | 07/22/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"OK. So I'm no musician, but for my money this is superb, beautifully played and emotionally expressive.
I am quite alarmed by the reaction of some of the other reviewers here. The sound quality really is not as bad as all that (in fact it's pretty clear compared to most) and Bach's suites are brought to life in a way that I have not heard before.
Where other lesser musicians make these sound like a cold, academic exercise, Starker invests just the right amount of feeling to make this a truly emotional and rewarding experience.
Have a listen and find out for yourself. I'm sure many will disagree with me - they're just wrong!"
Starker is the man!
Dominique Elliott | Savannah, GA USA | 01/16/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I am a non-musician, but a huge fan of both Starker and Bach. I own almost every version of the cello suites on the market and this version is by far my favorite. I find it soulful, unpretentious, well-tempered, and almost at the edge of the impossible in its virtuosity. When Starker plays Bach, there seems to be a magical synergy of souls. I find both Rostropovich's and Yo-Yo Ma's interpretation to be too fast and a bit cool. (But again, this isn't my expertise, just a frank visceral reaction to the sound.)"
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1