Bach: Cello Suites

Great recordings in good transfers: EMI and Opus Kura

I have both this remastered EMI transfer and the Japanese Opus Kura CD set, so I do not think I am destroying anyone's business by my short comment. Neither I want to deprive anyone of the joy of listening to Casals' Bach in either transfer. If you already have a CD version and are happy with it, don't try to get its alternatives. My review is for those music lovers who don't have the Cello Suites BWV 1007-1012 on CD yet or are still looking for the optimal variant.
If you buy this remastered EMI, you get a better package, liner notes and a good sound with noise reduction. If you buy Opus Kura, you get an even better sound, but with more hiss. If you are afraid of hiss and like retouched transfers of vintage recordings, buy the EMI set. If you love Casals' timbre and want to get a more natural sound, Opus Kura is a variant for you.
I have this transfer (EMI 562611-2) and an earlier transfer of the G major Suite BWV 1007 on EMI 567008. Above it, I have Casals on LPs in a good condition. The Opus Kura offers the best and most trustworthy sound from all these variants. I have not heard the Naxos issue of Casals' Suites, but I have another vintage reissues on this label and can confirm that Naxos transfers usually provide exactly that effect Mr.Get Real described: the sound comes as from a remote distance, there is noise reduction and frequency filtering. Opus Kura does not apply to the latter and gives a more vivid and natural sound.
November 24, 2008

Pau Casals, the Universal Catalan Cello Player

It is sad that the universal Catalan PAU CASALS is remembered with the Spanish name 'Pablo'. I still remember his speech at the United Nations proclaiming his love fro Catalonia, a country devastated by the Spain of Franco, who prohibited and prosecuted the use of the Catalan language. Anyhow ... this recording is a must! November 24, 2008

Pretentious twaddle

For 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! January 12, 2008

Revelation in Sound

This 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. August 7, 2007

The Marrow of Life in Sound

This 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! May 28, 2007

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