Chris Bonds wrote:

>For those interested in the Bach Cello Suites recorded by Anner Bylsma
>on Sony: It may be advantageous to buy the two volumes separately as
>opposed to the set.  One famous online retailer (which offers a "river" of
>merchandise) has the single disks for sale at $7.57 ea.  but the set of 2
>disks is $28.77.

The discs in question may contain two different sets of recordings.
Bylsma recorded the cello suites in the seventies, and got glowing opinions
from reveiwers in America.  This set was recorded for RCA Seon, and was
re-issued on CD at full price in the middle eighties.

Bylsma recorded the sets a second time in the early nineties for Sony
Vivarte with a more marked HIP approach (to judge from printed sources).
This edition is still in circulation at full price.

Recently, Sony seems to have obtained the rights to Seon recordings.  Bach
suites with Bylsma appear in the new autumn catalogue in three guises: two
separate discs at budget price, a Sony Essential Classics twofer at budget
price and the Sony Vivarte issue.  The budget price issues contain the
recordings from the seventies.

Having the rave reviews of the first set in mind, I bought the RCA issue.
I must admit that I was a little disappointed.  In my view, Bylsma plays
fast and loose with tempo and phrasing without being personal in a way
that might remind you of Casals.  The same observations apply to a Deutsche
Harmonia Mundi (RCA) issue of Bach solo transcriptions.  I admire Bylsma's
efforts in chamber music, and I am a little surprised about his approach to
the suites in the first series.  The re-recordings from the nineties I have
not heard.  Opinions about them would be most welcome.

Best wishes,
Michael