Tanja Tetzlaff - Tanja Tetzlaff Plays Bach & Encke (2019) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Tanja Tetzlaff in conversation with Friederike E. Westerhaus: On this recording you are pairing three Bach cello suites with two pieces by Thorsten Encke. How does this coupling change the experience for the player and for the listener?

I don’t think it changes my way of playing, but certainly our way of listening. We come to hear Bach’s works differently because Encke’s unfamiliar sonorities startle and disturb us. Inserted between the suites, Encke’s pieces open up an entirely different world of sound. After Cracks, we probably feel alarmed, and we thus adopt a different attitude as we approach the 5th Suite, which is quite agitated in itself. Then, after Clouds, which closes with a small thunderstorm, we approach the 6th Suite feeling almost liberated – overjoyed that we have survived a dangerous excursion on thin ice.

With his two pieces, Encke builds bridges among the three suites and refers to them directly in his music. I find that the two works are quite different in character: Cracks is loud and noisy – fragile, as well – whereas Clouds is more melodious at the onset. How have you adapted your playing to the two works in terms of musical character?

Both pieces feature powerful, incredible drama within a small space. Both pieces are threatening, but also gorgeous. While you are out on the thin, dangerous ice, you can survive if you manage to enter into the right sort of vibration. You can go on gliding in that beautiful ice-skating rhythm without falling through. …… (Excerpt from the interview in the album booklet)

Tracklist:
01. Suite No. 4 for Cello solo in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: I. Prélude
02. Suite No. 4 for Cello solo in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: II. Allemande
03. Suite No. 4 for Cello solo in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: III. Courante
04. Suite No. 4 for Cello solo in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: IV. Sarabande
05. Suite No. 4 for Cello solo in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: V. Bourée I
06. Suite No. 4 for Cello solo in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: Bourée II
07. Suite No. 4 for Cello solo in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: VI. Gigue
08. Cracks for Cello & Tape "Thin on Ice": Vivo-meno mosso, sempre flessibile
09. Suite No. 5 for Cello solo in C Minor, BWV 1011: I. Prélude
10. Suite No. 5 for Cello solo in C Minor, BWV 1011: II. Allemande
11. Suite No. 5 for Cello solo in C Minor, BWV 1011: III. Courante
12. Suite No. 5 for Cello solo in C Minor, BWV 1011: IV. Sarabande
13. Suite No. 5 for Cello solo in C Minor, BWV 1011: V. Gavotte I
14. Suite No. 5 for Cello solo in C Minor, BWV 1011: Gavotte II
15. Suite No. 5 for Cello solo in C Minor, BWV 1011: VI. Gigue
16. Clouds for Cello solo & Tape "Ice Mirror": Leggiero e volando-misterioso, irreale-volando
17. Suite No. 6 for Cello solo in D Major, BWV 1012: I. Praeludium
18. Suite No. 6 for Cello solo in D Major, BWV 1012: II. Allemande
19. Suite No. 6 for Cello solo in D Major, BWV 1012: III. Courante
20. Suite No. 6 for Cello solo in D Major, BWV 1012: IV. Sarabande
21. Suite No. 6 for Cello solo in D Major, BWV 1012: V. Gavotte I
22. Suite No. 6 for Cello solo in D Major, BWV 1012: Gavotte II
23. Suite No. 6 for Cello solo in D Major, BWV 1012: VI. Gigue

Personnel:
Tanja Tetzlaff, cello