This performance of Bach's Cello Suites by Alban Gerhardt can be nicely compared to that of (also spring 2019). Both releases are about middle-aged master cellists who first wanted to gain extensive experience before coming up with 'their' Bach. Both break open Bach's tight motor skills by means of subtle articulations, agogic accents and a taught vibrato. Despite these similarities, the musical
… differences are great. Lucia Swarts plays with an almost aristocratic dignity. The experience is intense, the tempi are low (and the snorting is annoying here and there). With Alban Gerhardt everything is much looser and smoother, which sometimes seems a bit rushed. The listener thus has a choice, great music allows for opposite interpretations. The release with Alban Gerhardt was also enthusiastically reviewed in Gramophone (Editor's Choice). (HJ)more