Bach: Cello Suites - Maria Kliegel

Cellist Maria Kliegel tackles Bach's demanding Cello Suites with aplomb but her performance lacks the necessary drama

Composer: Bach
Repertoire: Cello Suites
Artists: Maria Kliegel (cello)
Rating: 3/5 
Genre: Cello
Label: Naxos 8.557280-81

The six unaccompanied suites, written around 1720, remain the cellist’s Everest, making huge demands on the soloist. Here they are tackled by Naxos’s talented house cellist. Maria Kliegel plays with an attractive tone and a serenity that benefits the slower dance movements. She lacks the drama and variety of colour of the finest versions, and some of her tempos are on the sluggish side, but these undemonstrative accounts bring their own rewards.