Dr. Benjamin Whitcomb enters a massively crowded field (with a lot of boldness) by releasing this album of the odd-numbered Cello Suites of J. S. Bach. These are his own critical editions, and while I do not hear anything radically new in the performance of the music itself, I also am unable to hear the “improvisational freedom that baroque aesthetics valued and that keeps the music alive” that Whitcomb attempts to play, mentioned in the notes. Don’t get me wrong—Whitcomb is a fine player, a Wisconsin resident currently Associate Professor of Cello and Music Theory at the university of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and a member of the Ancora String Quartet. He has a large tone, good clean technique, and is bolstered by a fine sound on this recording.
But when I make comparisons with some other issues I see what is missing. The true improvisatory feeling is best found in the luminous readings of Peter Bruns on an Opus 111 issue that has great sound. Bruns finds things in these pieces that no one else has. Janos Starker’s third recording (Mercury) in (3-channel) surround splendor is one of the finest mainstream issues ever, and Jackie du Pre, though she recorded only the first two suites, finds an emotive passion in every bar that I simply don’t hear in this release. Nonetheless, I do hope that Whitcomb covers the other three as his will be a creditable effort and one certainly worth investigating, especially if you love these works and want to experience yet another take on some eternally unfathomable music. The addition of the highly virtuosic and first-ever works for solo cello by Domenico Gabrieli make a nice foil to the Bach, and a favorable bonus.
— Steven Ritter
