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

In the third Suite the order somehow changes. Casals and Fournier are the dominant ones, each of them from his own point of view. Casals takes us from the astonishing culmination of the Prelude with its rich sound to the intense intonation of the Allemande, then to the free and dancing pulsation of the Courante with its superb voices, to the intense contrast of the Sarabande; only the Bourees, due perhaps to his impetuous temperament, sound a little wild. Finally, the Suite comes to an end with a most lively Gigue. Fournier is at his best and his performance of the whole Suite is of a high level with good vocalisation, particularly in the Sarabande. The whole Suite is played in such a way that the music itself breathes in unison with the interpreter. My only disagreement with Fournier concerns the Allemande where the firmness of tempo gives a somewhat metronomic sense (and let the "authentic' experts frown on what I am saying here). Navarra goes on playing with intensity and virtuosity, but his contrast is low and this is at the expense of his vocalisation. In the Bourees he is more dancing than Rostropovich, while his best moment is in the Gigue where the Suite finishes in what I would describe as a festive way. Rostropovich is very good in the Prelude with very low pianissimi; he renders the Sarabande in an intensely dramatic way (which he ends with the sweetest fading away) and it is the same with Bouree II. He is good enough also in the Gigue where the sound is smooth and clear.

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