CAMPUS

Bach’s English Suites

J.S. Bach: English Suites

Carole Cerasi, harpsichord
Metronome 1078, 2 CDs, DDD

($38.98 on ArkivMusic.com: Click here to buy this CD)

Bach’s English Suites serve as an excellent example of the composer’s ability to take the genre of the baroque suite—a collection of stylized dance movements—and expand its bounds of compositional possibility to a level that, at that point in history, had never been seen. This recording offers a flawless reading by Carole Cerasi, who performs these pieces on a restored Francois-Etienne Blanchet II harpsichord, dated 1757. According to the CD notes, “sections of the soundboard including the rose, and parts of the case, are from an instrument by Jan Couchet, Antwerp 1671.”

Ms. Cerasi’s playing is sensitive, emotional, and extremely tasteful—much like Bach’s writing. Her decisions on tempi are perfect, never boring and never rushed. In regard to ornamentation, she chooses a sensible middle ground between the starkness of Englishman Trevor Pinnock’s and the indulgence of Dutch master Ton Koopman.

Cerasi’s treatment of the spritely opening to Suite No. 2 in A minor exhibits her deft command of the double-manual keyboard, with excellent treatment of the very vocal bass line. Her reading of the expressive allemande in Suite No. 3 in G minor gently exposes the simple but brilliant counterpoint and gorgeous harmonies so typical of Bach.

Other highlights include: the closing gigue of Suite No. 3, a fugal dance highlighted by tasteful phrasing; the prelude of Suite No. 4 in F major, marked by sublime ornamentation and a flair that is so often missing in harpsichord recordings; and the most fiery of the six suites, No. 5 in E minor. This suite’s opening and closing movements—prelude and gigue, respectively—are fugues whose mindboggling contrapuntal lines are treated by Cerasi with sublime perfection. She articulates each of them clearly, distinctly, and independently—a feat in and of itself—while also demonstrates perfect phrasing, choice of tempo, ornamentation. Cerasi shows a unique ability to pull the drama out of these emotionally-laden pieces.

Carole Cerasi’s reading of the English Suites is a must-have for any fan of harpsichord music in general, or the music of Bach in particular. Her abilities set her apart from the mostly male-dominated world of period keyboard performance and give the top performers in this arena a run for their money.
Grade:

Performance: A-

Sound: A