KOSTAS KATSIYIANNIS
Casals, Fournier, Navarra & Rostropovich on Bach's Suites for solo cello

References: Casals, EMI Classics 077776102726 (Recording 1936-39), 2 CD ||| Navarra, Calliope Cal 9641/2  (1977), 2 CD ||| Fournier, Deutsche Grammophon (1961) 419359-2, 2 CD ||| Rostropovich, EMI Classics (1995) 7243 5 55363 2 7, 2 CD

To be sure, the recording event of 1995 was the complete edition of the Cello Suites by Mstislav Rostropovich; an event that had been anticipated for several decades. This great and modest artistic figure had never during his career so far -to his fans' great disappointment- dared to record the complete work[2]. He decided finally to attempt the challenge after having been urged (I should say forced) by his intimate circle.

[2] In the past he recorded, individually, two of the six Suites. He himself says about it: "Only twice in my life have I recorded a Bach Suite. 40 years ago, I recorded the Second Suite in Moscow, and in 1960 I recorded the Fifth Suite in New York. In both cases I cannot forgive myself - I acted rashly." For sure, his time had not yet come.

I must admit, I felt rather awkward when it came to my turn to comment on Rostropovich's performance; that recording had become legendary even before it was made, so -using Rostropovich's words- "I had to pluck up my courage" to collect the recordings I needed and to start listening to them. So, here, on my CD player, together with the Rostropovich were the performances of three eminent cellists that I had already chosen: Pablo Casals, Pierre Fournier and Andre Navarra. Listening to them has been a memorable experience to me. It has never happened to me before to listen in succession to a series of interpreters offering me such a summation of musical wealth on one work, and a difficult and overplayed work at that. When that marathon-listening came to an end, I was not perhaps absolutely sure of what I would like to keep from each of them and what not; nevertheless, those four musicians have convinced me of the earnestness and respect and above all, the love that great interpreters have (and should have) when approaching works whose musical concepts are so intense. But let's start from the beginning.

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