Of course, Mr. Baù teases us with these unknown gems for the viola da gamba by Bach. A recent discovery? No. He’s turned to Bach’s Sei Solo and selected the partitas for violin, BWV 1002, 1004, and 1006. And while others have arranged these works for their own instruments, I am not sure I’ve ever heard a more convincing case.
Baù impressed me some years ago with his Corelli recording, and this one follows, I think, with the same high level of artistry and interpretation. He draws such a strong and commanding sound from his instrument. Start the Ciaccona (track 5) and listen to how clear and formidable his bowing and tone are.
It might be hard to imagine the famous Preludio from BWV 1006 rendered on anything but a clear, cleanly played violin. There is some audible finger noise as he navigates the gamba’s strings, but the interpretation is measured, bringing out all those echo effects that Bach bakes into the work. The overall acoustic of this album is close, but with just enough reverb; it’s only on this one track, I feel, that the artist would have benefited from a bit more reverberation to accentuate those echoes and heighten the sense of dynamic contrast. Nevertheless, his performance of this track confirms his standing as a virtuoso.
The writing across multiple strings in the same partita’s menuets feels so natural and perfect for the gamba. Beyond their suitability for the instrument, Baù’s interpretations feel natural, well-earned, and musically satisfying. The liner notes make a strong historical case for borrowing and arranging, as liner notes often do. I am not sure why we are still making that case today, except when the results fall short of the original.
I have little doubt that you’ll find these performances wholly satisfying in their own right, free of the shadow of their violin counterparts. This album had me remembering Paolo Pandolfo’s performances of the Bach cello suites on gamba, but Baù’s style is very different: smoother, perhaps, and less athletic in conception. And for the violin partitas, I think that’s the right approach.
The Allemanda and Corrente movements from the first partita, BWV 1002, feel well-positioned within the gamba’s range. The lower notes give us a great foundation, while the upper register turns sweet in a way that’s more noticeable than on the violin. Baù’s performance of the double of the Corrente (track 16) is not, perhaps, as breathtaking as some violinists’ renditions, but given the physical demands of playing the gamba, it remains an outstanding performance, especially in its consistent articulation. Clean. It sounds difficult, perhaps, but it may be one of those movements that forces us to hear the music a bit differently. And that’s not a bad thing.
The most glorious of the dances must be the pair of Tempi di Borea that closes the recording. Those double stops just ring on his instrument, and the richness in that part of its range is soul-satisfying in the first dance. The second, of course, is a bit more introspective. All the energy is refocused. And the result sounds as natural on his instrument as we might hope.
Conclusions
We had to wait a long time for this recording, made in September 2021 at the Sala della Carità in Padua. The album’s sound, the performances, and the guts it took to take on a trio of partitas from Bach’s Sei Solo all come together here in an ultimately satisfying album. Bravo, bravo! This one belongs in your collection.