In this performance of the allemande from Bach’s 6th suite Keiran Campbell plays on a rare and wonderful instrument which evokes a past age of refinement! Dating from the early 17th century his 5-string cello was built in the celebrated atelier of the Amati brothers. The very instrument on which, in the 1950s, Amaryllis Fleming performed. It was she who re-introduced the concept of playing Bach’s 6th suite on a five strings cello for which the piece was conceived.
Audio-video-James Kennerley
ABOUT KEIRAN
Keiran Campbell is a performer specializing in modern and baroque cello playing, and he recently moved from New York to Toronto to become a core member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
WE ASKED KEIRAN
Has the Amati cello inspired a change in your approach to the 6th Bach's Suite?
The Brothers Amati 5 String cello was a really fascinating instrument to play. In certain ways, it was quite difficult to play, actually - it is one of those instruments that tells you exactly what it wants, and really lets you know what it doesn’t. In this case, it required an extremely balanced and resonant bow stroke - otherwise, I could sound really awful on it at times! It was my first time playing the 6th Bach Suite on a 5 string instrument, so that was a learning process in itself, but I found that the Amati made me want to play this suite in a much more tender way than I had expected - I think it inspired me to search for a more playful and silvery tone with (I hope) lots of crisp and clear articulation! In other ways, it was extremely inspiring to just hold the instrument. I’m extremely interested in lutherie, so it was humbling to just look at the cello and appreciate the master who made it, and it was equally exciting to think about all the people who played it in the 400 years before me. I am extremely grateful that I got to experience it, and I still dream about this cello - hopefully we will cross paths again someday!
TO LISTEN TO KEIRAN CAMPBELL
Keiran plays in the new recording of the Beethoven Symphonies with Le Concert des Nations and Jordi Savall :
https://www.alia-vox.com/cataleg/beethoven-revolution-symphonies-1-a-5/
Tafelmusik fall online concerts : https://www.tafelmusik.org/downloads/2021%20Assets/Tafelmusik_DigitalBr…
READ ABOUT KEIRAN
http://www.keirancampbellcellist.com/
Picture-Bill Wadman
