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Amazon.co.uk Review
What is this thing called "cembalo"? In Bach's day, the word covered all the keyboard instruments, which means that today we must take our pick. Two recordings of these chamber works have come out simultaneously, with one presenting the cembalo part on a tangent piano, and the other, more conventionally, on the harpsichord. And though Miklos Spanyi's tangent piano is interesting, it doesn't have the beauty and sweetness of Ton Koopman's harpsichord. Koopman and Jordi Savall are two of Baroque music's celebrities, and to get them together is a coup. Moreover, Savall's viola da gamba speaks with a velvety richness that does wonders for these gracefully spare works. Playing on three instruments in turn--the oldest going back to 1550--he shows how different it is from the cello, with which it is often wrongly compared; it's possible that Bach originally wrote these sonatas for flute, but with this combination they work gorgeously. Highly recommended. --Michael Church
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7 reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Superb
9 Mar 2001
Savall and Koopman first recorded the three gamba sonatas over twenty years ago, so this new version was already up against stiff competition from the same pair of musicians. But what a revelation! While the two work together splendidly, the contrast between their approaches is what makes the collaboration so perfect. And, as one might expect, the added experience both have beind them make for a more relaxed, though hardly less engaging, performance. Savall's dynamic subtleties are matched by Koopman's strongly rhetorical approach and tighty controlled ornamentation. As an added bonus, one of the six trio sonatas (originally for organ) is added to fill out the disc. While there are plenty of recordings of these works in the catalogue, including excellent modern instrument performances by the likes of Kim Kashkashian on viola and many 'cellists, these should easily be THE performances to have, and not just for period-performance buffs.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
The best period recording of these works available
2 April 2002
This has to be considered the definitive recording of the Bach gamba sonatas. Savall and Koopman are arguably the finest gamba and harpsichord players, respectively, in the world. The balance is slightly more harpsichord-heavy than is typically heard, but it allows both hands of the keyboard a chance at equality. Rather than be a viol accompanied by two keyboard lines, this is three individual lines of music, and Koopman is skilled enough to make it work. Listen for a few painfully long resolutions on half-cadences at the end of slow movements. It's the nice kind of pain. The addition of an arrangement of an organ sonata as a sort of fourth viola da gamba sonata is a pleasant treat.
For those of you who don't know these works, this is essential listening. The three gamba sonatas are among the last great pieces written for the instrument, which subsequently went out of style until relatively recently.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Not your grandmother's period performance
6 Aug 2002
Format:Audio CD
Delicious. Despite the remarkable artistry that has come into the historical performance world in the past several decades, we've had to wait for this to hear the first truly remarkable recording of the gamba sonatas (although the Bylsma/van Asperen experiment impresses too). These little gems are fantastic-- much larger in scope and depth than the humble (to those who have not heard it) instrumentation would suggest. And, Koopman and Savall have thrown in a reworking of the similarily structured C-major trio sonata for organ to the CD's tremendous advantage.
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