Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Pablo Casals, John Corigliano, David Geringas, Sofia Gubaidulina, Ernst Krenek, Anatolijus Senderovas, Viktor Suslin, Peteris Vasks
Performer: David Geringas
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Es-Dur
Catalogue: ES2036
Release: 2013
Size: 621 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
CD 01
01. Corigliano: Fancy on a Bach Air
Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV1007
02. I. Prelude
03. II. Allemande
04. III. Courante
05. IV. Sarabande
06. V. Menuet I-II
07. VI. Gigue
08. Senderovas: Interludium
Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV1011
09. I. Prelude
10. II. Allemande
11. III. Courante
12. IV. Sarabande
13. V. Gavotte I-II
14. VI. Gigue
15. Suslin: Schatzinsel (Treasure Island)
Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV1012
16. I. Prélude
17. II. Allemande
18. III. Courante
19. IV. Sarabande
20. V. Gavotte I-II
21. VI. Gigue
22. Casals: El Cant dels Ocells (Song of the birds)
CD 02
Gubaidulina: 10 Preludes
01. No. 3, Con sordino – Senza sordino
Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV1008
02. I. Prélude
03. II. Allemande
04. III. Courante
05. IV. Sarabande
06. V. Menuet I-II
07. VI. Gigue
08. Geringas: Sandigloria
Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV1009
09. I. Prélude
10. II. Allemande
11. III. Courante
12. IV. Sarabande
13. V. Bourree I-II
14. VI. Gigue
Krenek: Studien, Op. 184
15. Study No. 1, Nachdenklich
Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E flat major, BWV1010
16. I. Prelude
17. II. Allemande
18. III. Courante
19. IV. Sarabande
20. V. Bourrée I-II
21. VI. Gigue
Vasks: Grāmata čellam (the Book)
22. II. Dolcissimo
The distinguished Lithuanian-born cellist and conductor David Geringas performs an unusually broad repertoire, from early baroque to contemporary music – a testimony to his flexibility and curiosity. The Rostropovich student and winner of the First Prize and Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition (1970) can now look back on a decade-spanning career, and with it on decades of special engagement with Bach’s Six Suites for solo cello.
Geringas has throughout his life been dedicated to the development, performance and discovery of new music. From this came the idea to combine Bach’s Cello Suites with short works by contemporary composers as “set pieces, links, separators or intermediaries”.
With most of these brief contemporary pieces there is only a partial direct relationship through some of the composers’ use of fragments of Bach; more often the links are via atmosphere, internalisation, key or character.
As well as David Geringas’ choice of more commonly-played works by Pablo Casals (his celebrated Song of the Birds), Sofia Gubaidulina, Ernst Krenek, Victor Suslin and Peteris Vasks, there are also new and, in part, previously unrecorded pieces by John Corigliano and Geringas himself. As an introduction to the Fifth Bach Suite – and specially composed for this 2-CD set – is the interlude by Anatolijus Senderovas, who has been a close friend of the cellist since childhood.