Legendary Treasures - Bach: 6 Suites For Cello / Fuchs

$30.99
Label
Doremi
Release Date
February 1, 2005
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      BACH, J.S.
    • PERFORMER
      Lillian Fuchs
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      February 01, 2005
    • UPC
      723724589629
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      DHR-7801-2
    • LABEL
      Doremi
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      2
    • GENRE
      Chamber Music & Recitals
    Works ⌄

    1. I. Prelude

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    2. II. Allemande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    3. III. Courante

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    4. IV. Sarabande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    5. V. Menuett I - II

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    6. VI. Gigue

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    7. I. Prelude

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    8. II. Allemande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    9. III. Courante

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    10. IV. Sarabande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    11. V. Menuett I - II

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    12. VI. Gigue

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    13. I. Prelude

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    14. II. Allemande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    15. III. Courante

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    16. IV. Sarabande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    17. V. Bourree I - II

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    18. VI. Gigue

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    19. I. Prelude

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    20. II. Allemande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    21. III. Courante

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    22. IV. Sarabande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    23. V. Bourree I - II

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    24. VI. Gigue

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    25. I. Prelude

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    26. II. Allemande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    27. III. Courante

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    28. IV. Sarabande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    29. V. Gavotte I - II

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    30. VI. Gigue

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    31. I. Prelude

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    32. II. Allemande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    33. III. Courante

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    34. IV. Sarabande

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    35. V. Gavotte I - II

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs

    36. VI. Gigue

      Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performer: Lillian Fuchs


Lillian Fuchs (1903–1991) was considered the “first lady of the viola,” and enjoyed a very successful career as a performer, composer, and teacher. Her students at Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music became the elite players of the viola in the US and her influence is still very much alive, 14 years after her death. The Bach suites that she recorded in the beginning of the 1950s were received with unanimous praise by her contemporaries, but since then they have disappeared from the market, and have become collectors’ items. So I was piqued to find out what the fuss was all about.

Yes, it is a dated performance in many senses. Fuchs plays with the kind of unrelenting legato that we would bash in any aspiring musician of today. Her interpretation is overly Romantic, phrases long, and breaths almost non-existent. Yet, I could not stop listening, and after the first CD ended, I was still curious to hear more. Why was that? Part of the reason is the lush, flexible sound produced by the artist, the interesting inflections, the unerring sense of direction, the overall technical achievement. Notable also is the very spare use of vibrato, pointing to a more “modern” conception (that is, one which is closer to our notions about authentic-performance practices) than was the norm at the time. But the main reason is that intangible charisma, the star quality that makes us follow every mood change, every nuance in dynamics, every twist in the musical plot.

...I was left with the sensation of having shared a unique moment, of the kind that transcends fashion or trends, and that can rightfully be called a legendary performance.

Laura Rónai, FANFARE