Michael Cervin wrote:

>The discs in question may contain two different sets of recordings...

I am glad for this information!  I just assumed they were the same
recordings.  The ones I am listening to are indeed the 1992 recordings, on
which he plays the "Servais" Stradivarius owned by the Smithsonian.  I have
only heard the first 2 suites.  As I mentioned his tempi are surprisingly
free in the preludes especially.  I don't know that I would play them
that way, especially the first which I almost hear as a moto perpetuo or
toccata-like piece.  However, I can't really disagree with his approach.
The idea of a prelude is based in improvisation, after all, which would
imply great flexibility.  The question is whether the tempo changes help
define the structure and flow of the music.

If this is the more "HIP" of the two sets, the other must be pretty
traditional in sound.  I would be interested to compare the two to see
if his tempi are more "radical" in the earlier set.

Chris Bonds