Search - Johann Sebastian Bach :: Bach: Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Cembalo

Bach's gamba sonatas are usually heard on the cello or viola today, though for the latter, their register is low and some notes are entirely beyond its range. This confronts violists with the choice of transposing their part an octave up and playing on the bright-sounding high strings, or staying in the gamba register and playing on the subdued-sounding low strings. Most players choose the former, more brilliant alternative, but Kim Kashkashian opts for the less traveled, more difficult road, transposing up only where the part goes below her reach. Taking authenticity even further, she tunes a half-step down to match the harpsichord, and plays almost without vibrato. All this gives her tone a singularly pure, but also muted and somewhat unvaried quality, while the cembalo sounds strangely reverberant, so the blend between a real and a half-real Baroque instrument is still problematic. However, the players' stylistic and musical integrity, their rapport and unanimity of articulation, phrasing, and expression, as well as the technical perfection of their execution, are totally admirable. The performance may be unusual, but it's stamped by personal conviction and involvement. --Edith Eisler