J.S. Bach's six Cello Suites are most frequently heard as they were written, though these beloved works are no longer the exclusive domain of cellists, because they have been increasingly arranged for other instruments, especially the viola. On this hybrid SACD from BIS, violist Maxim Rysanov plays the Suites No. 2, No. 3, and No. 6, as arranged by Simon Rowland-Jones. Because the viola's tuning is an octave higher than the cello, the keys and much of the music remain the same, except for a few minor technical changes. ...
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J.S. Bach's six Cello Suites are most frequently heard as they were written, though these beloved works are no longer the exclusive domain of cellists, because they have been increasingly arranged for other instruments, especially the viola. On this hybrid SACD from BIS, violist Maxim Rysanov plays the Suites No. 2, No. 3, and No. 6, as arranged by Simon Rowland-Jones. Because the viola's tuning is an octave higher than the cello, the keys and much of the music remain the same, except for a few minor technical changes. Rysanov also enjoys the special challenge of playing the Suite No. 6 in its original key of D major, instead of the easier key of G major, which is favored in other arrangements. Yet the biggest difference lies in the viola's somewhat thinner, muted tone, which lacks the deep resonance of the cello's open C and G strings and the richer tone quality of its D and A strings. Even so, Rysanov brings a vibrant character to the suites that goes beyond the instrument's physical limitations, and...
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