First Arabesque (Andantino con moto) - Claude Debussy
Pianist Walter Gieseking
The prelude from the Suite in G Major BWV 1007 by J.S. Bach. Performed on the baroque cello by Tanya Tomkins. Video from the Voices of Music Great Artists Series, January 2009.
(via Vimeo)
I chose this performance for the first real post on this blog over some rather more famous cellists playing the same piece on Youtube, and it wasn’t just a matter of video and sound quality. I really love her raw interpretation of this famous prelude, especially toward the end. By “raw” I don’t mean unrefined, I think her playing exudes both gravitas and personality.
For the choice of work, this is one of Bach’s best-known chamber compositions, and with good reason, as it is lovely. I couldn’t help but start the blog with Bach.
