Search - Johann Sebastian Bach :: Gaspar Cassado Plays Bach Cello Suites

My first Cassado cd!

Jeremy D Vosburgh | West Sand Lake, NY United States | 02/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Would you believe, I actually found the original 3 LPs from 1957 in mint condition at a church fair for 25 cents? After a little searching I was able to find the cds of the recording on amazon and was delighted to buy them (knowing nothing about Cassado or the suites before finding the records). To my delight they were a superb bargain at only $10.98. Much cheaper that Ma or Casals recordings of the same Bach suites that run about 30 dollars.This is a finely recorded and played, remastered high-definition 20 bit sound recording originally recorded from analog tapes from that VoxFox 1957 recording played by the composer and virtuoso cellist, Gaspar Cassado. It sounds like it was recorded yesterday.How does Cassado's recording rate against the likes of Ma and Casals's? Well, I've heard bits of all three playing these Bach cello Suites, and I am pretty much sure that Ma probably has technical mastery that slightly beats out Casals and Cassado (who are both excellent in their own rights). However, as we all know, interpretation is by far the more important virtue when choosing between professionals musicians where playing flawlessly is a perequisite. The experienced Cassado (60 when he made this recording) handily beats out the "spunky" Ma (at least in the playing of these Bach suites) in the expression department. The difference between Cassado and Casals is less pronounced (Casals is also a very impassioned cellist), and so personal preferences are the only thing that separate the two. I prefer Cassado; but then I am not a very experienced reviewer of solo cello music.These cds were great. And the five stars I gave them, means that if you like Bach as well as cello music, this is a must have. If you don't know anything about either, I can at least recommend it as being great background music for a romantic dinner. :)"

A Noble Cellist

Bogdan Petculescu | Ottawa, Canada | 05/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gaspar Cassado's interpretation of Bach's Cello Suites is simply outstanding. Not because of Cassado's technique (which is amazing - and he was 60), but for the fact that there is a general feeling of noble melancholy and virility that permeats these suites and highlights their intense, almost painful beauty.However, make sure you listen first to Maurice Gendron or Pierre Fournier - sometimes, Cassado shows a very idiomatic approach which may not appeal to newcomers.Highly recommended - pour les connaisseurs."

Beautiful! One of the best.

Dave92270 | CA, United States | 05/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Out of 3-4 recording of Bach's cello suites I own, Cassado's version may be the one I listen the most. I feel that it has the right balance between expression, speed, intonation, and also very reasonable technical audio quality, both the actual sound and the recording room acoustics. My favorites are Courante and Menuetto I/II from the suite 2 d-moll, but I like them all, every single minute on Cassado's CD's.



I also own Casals version (Opus Kura), Fournier (DG Archive) and Kirshbaum (Tetzlaff/Kirshbaum 4 CD EMI Classics ). Casals is off course excellent but the vintage recording noise can get in the way sometimes; Fournier has advantage of perfect sound recording quality but may have less expression then I'd sometimes welcome, or expression and speed that I find undesirable. However, they're really all great recordings and so it's hard to judge - apparently depends on one's taste and mood - but, if you don't have Cassado yet, it's worth to have a look at it. For record - I'm amateur listener.

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