Henrik Dam Thomsen - J.S. Bach: Cello Suites Nos. 1-6, BWV 1007-1012 (2024) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

CD1
01. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude
02. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: II. Allemande
03. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: III. Courante
04. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande
05. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: V. Menuetts I-II
06. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: VI. Gigue
07. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: I. Prélude
08. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: II. Allemande
09. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: III. Courante
10. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: IV. Sarabande
11. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: V. Menuetts I-II
12. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: VI. Gigue
13. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: I. Prélude
14. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: II. Allemande
15. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: III. Courante
16. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: IV. Sarabande
17. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: V. Bourrées I-II
18. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: VI. Gigue

CD2
01. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: I. Prélude
02. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: II. Allemande
03. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: III. Courante
04. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: IV. Sarabande
05. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: V. Bourrées I-II
06. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: VI. Gigue
07. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: I. Prélude
08. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: II. Allemande
09. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: III. Courante
10. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: IV. Sarabande
11. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: V. Gavottes I-II
12. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: VI. Gigue
13. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: I. Prélude
14. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: II. Allemande
15. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: III. Courante
16. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: IV. Sarabande
17. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: V. Gavottes I-II
18. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: VI. Gigue

Nobody knows why Johann Sebastian Bach composed his six suites for solo cello. Nor does anybody know how it came about that the suites were soon afterwards consigned to oblivion and more than a century before a 13-year-old Spanish musical prodigy discovered a worn copy of the score in a second-hand bookstore store in Barcelona. For the next 11 years Pablo Casals practiced them every day. Finally, in 1936, he entered London’s Abbey Road studios to record the second and third suites for the first time. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, Bach’s cello suites have become a rite of passage for all aspiring cellists.

For Henrik Dam Thomsen, the Bach cello suites are an integral part of his life, just as they are for all top-flight cellists. During the Covid shutdown, Henrik Dam Thomsen had the opportunity to immerse himself yet deeper into the Bach suites. ‘When one plays the suites, one is obliged to undertake many choices with regard to all the knowledge about Baroque music now available.' Thomsen felt it was important for to remain true to his own instrument and perform on his regular cello, a Francesco Ruggieri built in 1680, strung using modern strings, played with a conventional bow and tuned to the usual 442 Hz. These choices ensured the best homogeneity for the suites as a whole. The suites were recorded in the burnished acoustics of the Baroque Garrison Church (Garnisons Kirke) in Copenhagen beautifully captured by Mikkel Nymand and Henrik Dam Thomsen.

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