There are several beautiful versions of the gamba sonatas BWV 1027 to 1029 by Bach, but almost as many are actually versions played on the cello (baroque or not) or the viola, as on the viola da gamba. This new all-Quebec proposal will be able to stand up to the comparison because it is very beautiful. Margaret Little (of the duo Les Voix humaines) joins here the harpsichordist Christophe Gauthier (of the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, among others) in a respectful journey, marked by the clarity of Bach’s contrapuntal architecture. Gauthier is particularly highlighted by the ATMA recording, but also by his own assertive playing. Other versions exist and are of high quality: the excellent Pandolfo on Glossa and Jordi Savall, of course, with Ton Koopman. I had fun listening to this last reading again. The comparison is positive for the Little/Gauthier duo, who adopt a vision quite similar to that of the Catalan, and with the same high standard of playing. I would say that Savall takes more time and deploys a more muffled sound than the Quebecoise. For a really different take, try Hille Perl (with Michael Behringer) on Hänssler: the very eloquent and free narrative design almost takes us into the empfindsamkeit of the late 18th century (German artistic and literary movement that emphasizes sensitivity and the expression of individual feelings, in reaction to the excess of rationalism of the Enlightenment).
Two pieces by Antoine Forqueray (1672-1744) complete the program, one for harpsichord only and the other in duo. The Chaconne [in rondo] “La Buisson” for bass viol and continuo in G major will be useful for the uninitiated to understand the difference between Bach’s gamba universe and that of the French (including Forqueray, but also others like Marais and Couperin) of the Baroque era. Bach conceives the gamba as an instrument equal to the others in his contrapuntal constructions. He offers it lines as rigorous and structured as the harpsichord, flute, or violin. Forqueray, like many compatriots, uses the instrument in a much more holistic and free manner. All the sonic possibilities of the gamba are exploited, in a fluid, intuitive, almost improvisational language. Fascinating. Margaret Little draws a very focused interpretation on this ease of gesture and rhythm.
A reading that holds its place in the corpus of available versions of these sonatas.
