Thomas Demenga – J.S. Bach: Suiten fur Violoncello (2017) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

The Swiss cellist (and composer) Thomas Demenga (*1954) is an artist on the world stage who defies classification: at once at ease in the most groundbreaking contemporary performances – we owe him many recordings of Cage, Holliger, Messiaen, Yun, Pärt, Zimmermann etc. – and in the classical repertoire, from Bach to Schubert, from Vivaldi to Mendelssohn, from Dvořák to Tchaikovsky. This is his completely new reading of Bach’s Suites, which he gives with an immense, almost-improvisational freedom, even if he respects the texts to the letter: it is all in the accents, the rubatos, the articulations and the phrasing that he gives his imagination free rein, as if the ink wasn’t even yet dry on these master-works. We are a long way, here, from some “cleaner”, more “classic”, “polished” readings from some great predecessors. But in reality, this music is sufficiently rich and ample to be seen from a thousand angles without losing any of its shine. Demenga, a disciple of Rostropovitch, Antonio Janigro and Leonard Rose, has entered a kind of pantheon, where he can bear comparison with any number of the greats. The deliberately rather low range which he has chosen lends greater depth and an uncharacteristically darker tone to his readings.

Tracklist:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
1. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude (02:17)
2. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: II. Allemande (04:06)
3. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: III. Courante (02:23)
4. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande (02:26)
5. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: V. Menuet 1 – VI. Menuet 2 (03:18)
6. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: VII. Gigue (01:38)
7. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: I. Prélude (03:55)
8. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: II. Allemande (03:42)
9. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: III. Courante (01:58)
10. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: IV. Sarabande (03:49)
11. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: V. Menuet 1 – VI. Menuet 2 (03:00)
12. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: VII. Gigue (02:44)
13. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: I. Prélude (03:07)
14. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: II. Allemande (03:48)
15. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: III. Courante (02:55)
16. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: IV. Sarabande (03:29)
17. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: V. Bourrée 1 – VI. Bourrée 2 (03:35)
18. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: VII. Gigue (03:13)
19. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: I. Prélude (03:50)
20. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: II. Allemande (04:10)
21. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: III. Courante (03:17)
22. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: IV. Sarabande (03:07)
23. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: V. Bourrée 1 – VI. Bourrée 2 (04:25)
24. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: VII. Gigue (02:58)
25. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: I. Prélude (05:37)
26. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: II. Allemande (04:39)
27. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: III. Courante (02:11)
28. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: IV. Sarabande (03:13)
29. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: V. Gavotte 1 – VI. Gavotte 2 (04:45)
30. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: VII. Gigue (02:32)
31. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: I. Prélude (04:34)
32. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: II. Allemande (08:12)
33. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: III. Courante (03:31)
34. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: IV. Sarabande (04:52)
35. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: V. Gavotte 1 – VI. Gavotte 2 (03:09)
36. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: VII. Gigue (04:14)