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

In the fourth Suite Casals starts the Prelude with an amazing vocalisation; his tempo is a little quickened, but his phrasing is exemplary, as well as its culminations. In the Allemande he dares a quasi-recitativo playing, and also takes a chance on the tempi and the Courante. His daring playing continues in the Gigue, with intense differentiations. Despite his quickened tempo in the Prelude, Rostropovich's vocalisation is beautiful, but in the Allemande he doesn't manage to hold the listener's interest. The Courante suffers from low contrasts, although he continues with an excellent Sarabande; in the two Bourees that follow, Rostropovich seems not to sympathize with the traditional differentiation in repeated motifs, and ends with the Gigue played simply with virtuosity. In this Suite Navarra is fighting a duel with Fournier. The former surpasses in liveliness in the Allemande, but he is less good in the Courante, which the latter. performs more melodiously. Both of them do very well in the Bourees, with nice differentiations and repeated motifs. Finally, they end the Suite in a very good Gigue in which Navarra is expressive enough, but which Fournier colours more intensely.

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