Bach : 3 Sonatas for viola [da gamba] & harpsichord, BWV 1027-1029

Album review

Whatever it takes, so long as it sounds remarkable.
A viola da gamba composition played on a viola da braccia, or Bratsche in German. Such feats are commonplace for Antoine Tamestit, and here he overcomes the challenge with the same sense of indulgence that we have come to expect. In fact, the musician is an expert in adapting baroque classics. Tamestit transcribes compositions with tactfulness and intelligence, like in his two Suites for Solo Cello by Jean-Sébastien Bach. This time, the viola player is accompanied by his accomplice Masato Suzuki on harpsichord for the recording of the Three Sonatas for viola da gamba, BMV 1027-1029.
Playing the music we like on an instrument we love, isn’t that what taking pleasure in music is about? There are incidentally several versions of the Sonata in G major, BMV 1027: a trio sonata of two transverse flutes and perhaps even an organ. So why not the viola?
The record contains three scores in reverse order to their catalogue numbers. It’s a pleasure to hear the Vivace under the viola players agile fingers and ductile phrasing. The instrument’s grain is warmly transferred through his bow thanks to his natural approach to playing. The balance between the two musicians is a delight, particularly in the arrangement of the aria “Ergiesse dich reichlich” of the cantata Wo sol ich flihen hin, a pleasant surprise that is slipped in between sonatas BMV 1029 and 1028. The melody is fluidly transferred between the players and demonstrates the complexity of the composition’s exceptional contrasts. Of course, the viola provides a larger ambitus with seven strings and its ability to play deeper notes. Tamestit and Suzuki deliver here a disarmingly graceful rendition that lacks no gravity. © Elsa Siffert/Qobuz

Details of original recording : Recorded December 2018, Teldex Studio Berlin, Berlin (Germany)