Acht Cellisten Archive

Bach & Villa Lobos – Acht Cellisten – Preisler Records

by Audiophile Audition | Oct 14, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

Werke von Johann Sebastian Bach und Heitor Villa-Lobos – Acht Cellisten der Wiener Symphoniker — Preiser Records PR 90816, 59:00, (10/10/17) **** The pairing of Villa-Lobos with Bach as far as a concert or album goes, makes sense, given the Brazilian composer’s fascination with Johann Sebastian Bach. This live concert CD pairs three pieces of Villa-Lobos with arrangements from the first cantata of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248. The “8 Cellos of the Vienna Philharmonic” are joined by flautist Karl-Heinz Schütz to present Villa Lobos’s Die Fliegerflöte and the soprano part to the Bachianas Brasileiras no. 5. “The Jet Whistle” is in fact a duet in three movements for solo cello and flute. It’s a virtuoso piece that taxes the technical capacity of both players. Villa-Lobos employs repeated patterns and rhythmic gestures to create an intriguing and enjoyable duet. The piece was new to me and it established the high professional standards of both the flautist and lead cellist, Christoph Stradner. In a former life, I was used to arranging pieces for a like-bodied ensemble, including pieces by Bach. The challenges in arranging pieces originally for a wide gamut of tones down to a more limited range (in this case, […]