Sigiswald Kuijken Solo

• Performer: Sigiswald Kuijken, violin, violoncello da spalla, clavichord, viola da gamba
• Label: Accent

I auditioned this via Qobuz and no booklet was provided. Note: I was provided a booklet for review after this review was published. I had originally relied upon what was presented in Qobuz to know what instruments Mr. Kuijken was playing upon which was erroneous. He performs the following works on the following instrumentarium:

• Ortiz (1-4) & Abel (15-17) on Viola da gamba
• Baltzar & Biber (5-7); BWV 1004 on violin
• Bach Suite BWV 1009 (8-10 cello da spalla)
• Bach BWV 1008 on clavichord

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The Kuijken family has contributed greatly to the world of early music through the brothers’ recordings and teaching. This album, I’m guessing, is a personal one for violinist Sigiswald. The musician/director presents to us pieces performed predominately upon an instrument he has come to evangelize, the violoncello da spalla. The instrument is the first one seen on the cover, left. He also performs here on violin, gamba, and clavichord.

Kuijken has used the viola or cello da spalla with his ensemble La Petite Bande. I’ll let him introduce the instrument to you himself, by way of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment:

It's an instrument that is written about (and painted) but has not really survived into current practice. Kuijken's embrace of the instrument has enlightened us on the variation of instruments used during the period in a time when standardization was not so firm a thing (think about how different pitches were used, depending upon function or location). He performs a portion of a Bach suite here and for me it's difficult to appreciate it sonically.

I wrote earlier that I wouldn’t be surprised it died into oblivion after the baroque era. The nasal, stuffy sound serves no artistic purpose, to my sensibility. While the video linked above makes a case for the instrument playing the “bass line” as a conductor, the sound I recall from these being use in Brandenburg Concerto #3 by La Petite Bande was lacking in, well, bass. The whole ensemble sounded top-heavy.

That said, the pragmatic existence of the instrument for me gives the use of it some legs. As a conductor's instrument, as one suitable in tight quarters? Sure... While I think the larger cello held between the legs is my own contemporary preference, the experiments with new recordings using this instrument are precisely what we should embrace to at least welcome the soundworld of the baroque in our lives.

Bach’s Allemande from BWV 1008 is presented in an arrangement on clavichord. This is the first time I’ve heard Kuijken play keyboard. A number of recordings have appeared with arrangements of violin and the cello suites on keyboard; this snippet isn't offensive in the least.

He returns to his violin for three movements of the solo partita, BWV 1004. His phrasing and bowing is unmistakable from what we hear earlier on the album, which starts with works by Diego Ortiz (on the gamba) and Thomas Baltzar.

Kuijken finishes with three movements on the viola da gamba by C.F. Abel. To my ears, he’s most successful on this instrument, in this current recording. Of course we know his brother Wieland as the specialist on the viola da gamba.

The album does—by design or not—showcase the many talents of Kuijken on different instruments. I thought originally this was a kind of personal project for Kuijken and this is only confirmed the more I listened and considered this album's raison d'etre.

That said I honestly did not find this album as a whole or as a concept rewarding to a high degree. Which is to say I think there may be more musically satisfying renditions of these pieces (especially so, perhaps, the Bach) in the more typical "complete sets." However if you take the album at its face to be about the performer, who has spent a great deal of his artistic life sharing with us music using authentic instruments, my perspective changes. If I wanted to listen to all the cello suites, I wouldn't turn to this album; but if I wanted to spend some time with Kuijken playing some favorites of his across a diverse instrumentarium, then, yes, this album takes on special value.

For those interested in the angle with the violoncello da spalla, I found Sergey Malov’s performances the most convincing.

I continue to believe that this album will be of interest to those following Kuijken’s long career and perhaps, what he’s capable of achieving across multiple stringed (and a keyboard-controlled) instrument.