Bach: 6 Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord (arr. for violoncello piccolo)
Mario Brunello (violoncello piccolo), Roberto Loreggian (harpsichord, positive organ), Francesco Galligioni (cello, viola da gamba) (Arcana)
(scroll down for English review)
巴哈六首無伴奏大提琴組曲，一去到第六首，音域就比前五首高了，所以一般相信它是為了高音大提琴或小大提琴而寫，只是現代大提琴家還是可以用一般大提琴演奏，不過要上到很高把位，拉得更辛苦。Mario Brunello近年經常拉高音大提琴，但他不只拉《第六組曲》，更用它來涉獵小提琴曲目，連巴哈的無伴奏奏鳴曲及組曲都錄了，又錄過意大利巴洛克小提琴協奏曲，現在他回到巴哈，用高音大提琴拉六首（有伴奏）小提琴奏鳴曲。
但我想不到他不只是和古鍵琴拉二重奏，更拉多一支大提琴入來，把這六首奏鳴曲都當成通奏低音奏鳴曲來拉，第二支大提琴負責古鍵琴左手的低音聲部。聽完第一首，我以為其餘五首都是一模一樣，其實不是。一去到第二首，就發覺古鍵琴手轉彈小管風琴，而第二大提琴也不是只拉大提琴，有時會改用低音古提琴，只是我說不出哪首他是用大提琴、哪首是用低音古提琴。
這樣一來，整套作品突然變得豐富得多，巴哈（有伴奏）小提琴奏鳴曲從來沒無伴奏那麼受歡迎，一來現代小提琴家一般拉得很悶，二來這套作品又確實沒有無伴奏那麼登峰造極。我很喜歡的浮士德用原音奏法，並加上許多裝飾音，將分句細心打量，得出很生動的詮釋。而Brunello他們，則不是從裝飾音或造句落手，反而開拓出一個新世界出來。
（都是沒有YouTube免費試聽，連結是Spotify。）
Among the six Bach solo cello suites, the Sixth climbed onto a different register from the other five. That’s why it was thought to be written for the smaller violoncello piccolo with its higher pitch. Mario Brunello is now the best-known champion of this instrument, not only did he play the Sixth Suite but he used it to step into the baroque violin repertoire. He recorded Bach’s solo violin sonatas and partitas, then did a recording of Vivaldi and Tartini, and now he’s back to Bach, playing the six violin sonatas with harpsichord accompaniment.
What’s truly surprising is that Brunello brought in another cellist and treated these sonatas as continuo sonatas, the second cellist playing (mostly) the left hand notes of the harpsichord part. After listening to the First Sonata I thought to myself, I don’t want the other five sonatas to be like that. Then in the first movement of the Second Sonata I heard a positive organ instead of the harpsichord. At times the second cellist played on the gamba, although I couldn’t really tell when he’s playing which.
So these sonatas were transformed into something grander than we’re used to. These works’ relative obscurity in comparison to solo Bach is justified because players tend to play them in a rather tasteless way and the works themselves aren’t as groundbreaking as the sonatas and partitas. I treasured Isabelle Faust’s recordings for her extensive ornaments and the rearranging of phrases, while Brunello and company aimed for a thorough realization of Bach’s originals and managed to create a whole new world.