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The Dutch cellist, Anner Bylsma [Bijlsma], received his first lessons were from a parent, in this case his father, also a multi-talented musician. At the age of 16, he enrolled at the Royal Conservatory, The Hague, to study with Carel van Leeuwen Boomkamp, principal cellist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam. It was Boomkamp who introduced Bylsma to the Baroque cello. Bylsma won the school's Prix d'excellence in 1957, and after becoming the Netherlands Opera Orchestra's principal cellist, he won first prize in the Casals Competition in Mexico in 1959.
Playing with impeccable technique and a beautiful, unadulterated tone, Anner Bylsma was acknowledged as a master cellist, comfortable in a wide range of music on both both modern cello, and period instrument cello in an historically informed Baroque style. As his father, he himself was principal cellist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam for six years (from 1962 to 1968). He left the orchestra to devote his performing career to solo and chamber ensemble touring. He was one of the pioneers of the 'Dutch Baroque School' and rose to fame as a partner of period flautist Frans Brüggen, harpsichordist Gustav Leonhardt, who toured extensively together and made many recordings. In the 1990’s-2000’s keyboardists Malcolm Bilson and Jos van Immerseel. He continued to be a towering figure in the Baroque cello movement. Bylsma was also a co-founder of the string chamber ensemble L'Archibudelli. As a solo performer he played regularly with such orchestras as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Tafelmusik, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Freiburger Barockorchester, and the 20th century music ensemble Rondom Kwartet. His chamber music partners includes violinists Lucy van Dael and Catherine Manson; flautist Frans Brüggen; harpsichordists Gustav Leonhardt and Bob van Asperen.
Anner Bylsma became an Erasmus Scholar at Harvard University in 1982. He was also a noted scholar and teacher and author of Bach - The Fencing Master, a stylistic and aesthetic analysis of the first three of J.S. Bach's Cello Suites. His playing was always based on what he found in the composers' manuscripts. However, he quickly admitted that his interpretation of a work was not and should not be the only one, which he also impressed on his students. Although he did not like to use the term "authentic," it was in keeping with period performance that he avoided the use of steel strings, and this was a major element of his tone. Both his 1695 Gofriller cello and his 1865 Pressenda were strung with gut or silver-wrapped gut. He also had a five-string "violoncello piccolo" that he used to record J.S. Bach's solo works.
His recordings can be found on a variety of labels, covering a variety of works, from Antonio Vivaldi to Paul Hindemith. In 1979 Bijlsma recorded the Six Suites for unaccompanied cello (BWV 1007-1012) by J.S. Bach, the first of its kind on a period instrument. He also made a second recording of the same music in 1992 on the large Servais Stradivarius and on a five-string violoncello piccolo. Many of his recordings on Sony, both as a soloist and with L'Archibudelli, have won the Edison prize, the Diapason d'or, the Liszt prize, and the Vivaldi prize.
Anner Bylsma was married to Dutch violinist Vera Beths. |
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Gustav Leonhardt |
Cello, Violoncello piccolo |
Member of Leonhardt-Consort:
Cantatas Vol. 1: CD-3: BWV 7, BWV 8, BWV 9; CD-4: BWV 10, BWV 12; CD-5: BWV 13, BWV 14, BWV 16
Cantatas Vol. 2: CD-5: BWV 32, BWV 33
Cantatas: BWV 56
Cantatas Vol. 5: CD-5: CD-4: BWV 91, BWV 92
Cantatas Vol. 6: CD-3: BWV 107
Cantatas Vol. 7: CD-3: BWV 127; CD-4: BWV 128, BWV 129; CD-5: BWV 132, BWV 133; CD-6: BWV 134, BWV 135
Cantatas Vol. 9: CD-6: BWV 180 |
