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Free Music Notes for Bach: Cello SuitesFree Music Review: Pretentious twaddle Hit: 1 StarsFor Mr. Get Real[your nom-de-plume and your review is an oxymoron!] - what a lot of pretentious, overblown nonsense. I bet you were bullied at school! It's about the music, the interpretation, the feeling - not +/- decibels etc etc. Your review did nothing for casual classical music listeners.
To anyone else with ears either side of their head - listen to the cd and enjoy it for what it is!
Free Music Review: Revelation in Sound Hit: 5 StarsThis is the original recording of these masterpieces. Imagine the thrill of the aspiring young (age 13) celloist Casals when he discovered the sheet music for these suites--in a second-hand store. At the time, he had not known of their existance; indeed, apparently no one had ever performed any of these suites before in their entirety. (According to the nice essay in the liner notes, at the time of Casals' "discovery", the various individual movements were sometimes played by celloists as "exercises.") Casals practiced these suites for many years before performing them in public, and it was not until over 30 years later that he agreed to record them.
It's hard to believe that this recording was made in the 1930s--sounds more like the 1960s or 70s. The hiss is barely audible, at least to my 50 year-old ears. You simply can't go wrong with purchasing this, especially when it's on sale (it's easily worth the full price, too). I listened to the online samples (sound clips) of several recordings of these suites, and decided to go with the original--the playing is not perfect, but it overflows with beauty and musical character.
Free Music Review: The Marrow of Life in Sound Hit: 5 StarsThis music breathes, lives . . . is creation! Whatever recording one chooses of the Casals, by all means, acquire one. Not to disappoint the experts and perfectionists, I'm fine with this one, the EMI, occasionally hissing backdrops and all. Whenever I find myself in the slough of total despair, too dizzy to get off the mat, I spin the Casals, and listen: that's life talking!
Free Music Review: Bach Cello Suites - Pablo Casals Hit: 5 StarsRecently, I vacationed in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The place Pablo Casals made his permanent home from 1956 to his death in 1973. In my hotel, his recording of the Bach Cello Suites was played endlessly. The entire week I was there only this recording of Pablo Casals' Bach Cello Suites was ever heard in all the public areas of the hotel El Convento. I never tired of it. I am a violinist by profession and also have the Lynn Harrell recordings but not the YoYo Ma. When I came home I knew that I need to buy the Casals recording. It may be because they were recorded in 1935 and the methods of recording were so different from today. The more I listened the more I heard , I could even hear small errors when his bow didn't quite contact with the string on string changes. I loved this because it was done like a live recording - not done over and over for total perfection. It is human. Tempos, dynamics and ornaments were all to my liking. His playing comforts my soul. I also recommend reading Pablo Casals book, "Joys and Sorrows" written in 1970. This book is no longer in print but used copies are available through Amazon. Casals was one of the worlds greatest musicians and a great humanitarian. He was also one of the late Mstislav Rostropovich's teachers.
Free Music Review: Cello in your living room Hit: 5 StarsIntimate surroundings or just by yourself listening on headphones is the way to go. I enjoy this record and have played it numerous times over and over.
More Free Music Notes: 1 2
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