{"id":11385,"date":"2013-04-09T08:59:31","date_gmt":"2013-04-09T13:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=11385"},"modified":"2013-04-09T08:59:31","modified_gmt":"2013-04-09T13:59:31","slug":"album-review-jan-voglers-technically-accomplished-take-on-bachs-cello-suites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2013\/04\/09\/album-review-jan-voglers-technically-accomplished-take-on-bachs-cello-suites\/","title":{"rendered":"Album review: Jan Vogler’s technically accomplished take on Bach’s Cello Suites"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(Jim<\/a>
(Jim Rakete photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the last two weeks, you couldn’t step into a New York City cab without catching a snippet or two of J.S. Bach’s six Cello Suites<\/em> being played by Jan Vogler. The contrast between crazy Manhattan traffic and the quiet intricacy of Bach’s masterpieces is staggering, but that’s what happens with big-label marketing.<\/p>\n

Given a quieter moment or three, there is a lot to love about this German-American’s approach to the cornerstone of the cello repertoire. All six suites are issued on a new album from Sony Classical.<\/p>\n

\"Cover_Vogler_Bach_Suites.indd\"<\/a>Overall, Vogler successfully walks the thinnest of tightropes between energetic and laid-back. He often let’s the music speak for itself. At other times, he pushes a little bit to get more momentum going.<\/p>\n

I have to admit to having an incredibly hard time assessing a recording like this.<\/p>\n

Each of the six suites contains six movements (patterned in the French style after courtly dance metres), clocking in at nearly 2-1\/4 hours of listening. With every recording I’ve heard, there are individual movements where a particular interpreter seduces me, and others that leave me cold. The same is true here — so I guess the final verdict depends on the balance between the two.<\/p>\n

Vogler has unbelievable control over his bow, and his Stradivarius cello sounds like the million dollars it is. So that’s a great start. The music never feels forced, but I think he could have allowed himself some extra breaths here and there.<\/p>\n

Is this a definitive recording? I don’t think so. But it is technically breathtaking, and musically pretty compelling.<\/p>\n

The Sony website is so useless that you will have to go to a third party to get details about the album (I have a thing about Amazon, so I’m not going to put a link here). You can check out Vogler’s website here<\/a>, but the album only appears in the German-language version of the discography page.<\/p>\n

Here is Vogler playing the Prelude, Sarabande and closing Gigue from Suite No. 3<\/em>, in C major, at new York City classical radio station WQXR earlier this year:<\/p>\n