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Leila Batarseh wrote (May 30, 2004):
To my great surprise, I find that I actually have something to say about a Bach recording. And that thing is: run, don't walk, to BRO and get yourself a copy of Suzuki's Partitas before they're all gone. Until I bought it, the only solo recording of Suzuki's that I'd heard was his Fantasias and Fugues cd, which I thought was dreadful. But I'd read good things about his Partitas recording, so at BRO prices I decided to give it a try, and I'm very glad I did. I think it may be the most sheerly beautiful rendering that I've heard, but more importantly I also found it a very intense and emotionally expressive reading. All of this made possible, perhaps, by a certain flexibility and "breathing" quality in his playing, and by his unusually slow tempos - which almost always work, although a few movements (the gigue from the Partita in a minor comes to mind) do not benefit so much from this choice. I also enjoyed Suzuki's way with repeats, his not-at-all judicious ornaments. (I mean this as a compliment. When I read praise in a review for someone's "judicious use of ornamentation" I assume that they're big 'fraidy-cats about it and don't bother to add any worth mentioning.)
To top it all off, he plays a gorgeous instrument with a lovely resonant bass, and it's very well recorded. This version is not my all-time favorite (I still prefer Parmentier and Verlet on Astree), but it's up there, and it knocks the socks off Pinnock and some others I've heard. One cautionary note: I've only listened to it a couple of times, so I can't swear to how it will hold up to repeated listening. But I'm certainly enjoying it greatly so far. |
