Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites: Performed on Double Bass

The double bass only recently began to be regarded as a solo instrument, largely thanks to outstanding players who inspired composers to write for it. Until then, its repertoire consisted mostly of transcriptions, usually made by bassists themselves. Edgar Meyer, renowned as a bass virtuoso as well as a versatile, multifaceted composer, has now transcribed the Bach Cello Suites, three of which he plays on this disc. It is a brave and noble undertaking and a remarkable achievement. His command of instrument and bow, including a splendid chord-technique, is awesome, his articulation clean and variable, his intonation impeccable, although, presumably for stylistic reasons, he uses hardly any vibrato. This makes the sound hollow and remote, especially in the low register, which undercuts the expressiveness of the music and Meyer's obvious passionate love for it. His phrasing has a spoken quality; he builds up great climaxes and produces a wonderful resonance with the open strings, changing the Suites' tonality up or down a tone to fit the bass. He favors slow Minuets, and sometimes gets a bit ponderous, but gives the fast dances a lively bounce. His sense of structure and voice-leading is admirable, his rhythm supple but rock-steady, though he inexplicably cuts short some final long notes before repeats. Forget the sound of the great cellists you associate with these works, and listen to this record with a fresh ear. --Edith Eisler Amazon.com

unique, emotive, haunting

I was very sick when I heard this, 3 weeks down and needing something
real. This shook me; I listened to it for 2 days straight. I don't
agree with the guy who called this 'pedestrian'. I think this
approaches Rostopovich, and -to me- is a bit more personal than Yoyo.
I won't compare with Cassals because the recording quality of this
is so lush it's not really fair.

Even with 7 days of music on my ipod, this is on the short list.
November 26, 2008

Pedestrian

I have many recordings of these suites and I don't like this one. The recording does not capture the drama and pathos of the suites - they are played matter-of-fact. Recording engineer Todd Whitelock's sound is dead and artificial. The cello has no sense of localization in space. I assume Mr. Whitelock chose to place it predominantly on the left channel to compensate for that. There are literally hundreds of recordings of these suites on cello, but not on the double bass. There is a reason they are not played on the double bass - it doesn't sound as rich and nuanced as on cello. January 6, 2008

Still my favorite bass cd

Without the tone of the instrument, you would never guess that a bass was playing at this level of precision. The pharisees of classical music who critique Meyer's performance for not sounding enough like a cello or not being Baroque enough is the equivalent of criticizing an apple for not tasting more like an orange. This cd is inspiring for any musician, but particularly for bassists tired of being relegated to simple droning on their instruments. May 17, 2006

Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites:Perfromed on Double Bass

Excellent, I wish there were a dozen more like it! March 23, 2006

3 4 & 6 please!

i desperatly hope that meyer will record suites 3, 4 and 6. he is utterly amazing. i can't imagine what the 6th suite will sound like on double bass. it seems almost impossible really. cheers to mr. meyer! October 14, 2005

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