JS Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 - Prelude

Using the techniques of the Baroque, Claudio Bohórquez makes a striking new musical argument out of Bach’s finest and most minimal cello work.
The circumstances surrounding these performances were, to say the least, exceptional. Word of the 14th-century chapel came from Plushmusic producer Hayden Chisholm, who spent weeks combing the island for the perfect recording spot. He spoke enthusiastically of its acoustic, but failed to mention the resident donkey – an animal with a keen musical sense and a hands-on approach to the recording process. Press photographs taken outside during rehearsal breaks absolutely refused to be moody. The chapel’s surroundings were absurdly pretty enough to decorate Deutsche Gramaphon album covers of the 1970s. Such surroundings need no embellishment, and this might go some way to explaining the clarity Claudio Bohórquez brings to these most complex and satisfying performances.

Tags

Bach, cello, Claudio Bohorquez, Majorca, Mallorca, suite, Christian Bernhard Linike, chapel, and cöthen