Flachot: Bach 6 Cello Suites - Bourg Records BG 3007-8-9 (3LP box set)
$
180
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
ITEM DESCRIPTION:
This superb and very rare 3LP box set from Bourg Records (BG 3007-8-9, French pressings, black/silver label, stereo, booklet included) features Reine Flachot's sublime rendition of Bach's Six Suites for Solo Cello BWV 1007-1012, recorded at Studio A D S, Paris in January 1981, produced by Z. Jovanovic and engineered by Jean-Pierre Gouache. The sound of the cello has often been likened to the human voice and few have made it sing in these Suites as did Reine Flachot. She is not a reticent player, and his full-throated Bach playing, full of ardor yet wonderfully refined, is truly extraordinary – this is exalted Bach playing by any measure.
Among its many other virtues, Flachot’s cycle boasted one additional and quite fascinating bit of musical scholarship, best summarized by re-printing the notes printed on the reverse side of the box: “The ‘premiere’ announced on the cover of this recording is an innovation of considerable importance from the standpoint of musical theory as well as instrumental execution: it is a scordatura, that is to say a special tuning for the violoncello for Suite No. 4 in E-flat (a process, moreover, which Bach indicated for Suite No. 5).” A more detailed explanation is provided in the 4-page, full-size booklet that accompanies the set, with extensive notes – in French, English, and German – by Olivier Alain.
The French cellist Reine Flachot (1922-1998) was born in Argentina, but came to Paris at the age of 12 to study with Jean Dumont and Paul Bazelaire, as well as with Gerard Hekking at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1938 she made her debut at age 16 with conductor Paul Paray and the Concerts Colonne in Lalo’s Cello Concerto. She eventually earned the reputation as “the ambassador of the French cello school” and several contemporary concertos were written for, and premiered by, her including those by Emile Mawet, Pierre-Max Dubois, Andre Jolivet, Charles Brown, et al. From 1966 she taught at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. She made regrettably few recordings, but we can be deeply grateful for this Bach set.
The timings for the individual Suites are as follows:
Suite No. 1 in G Major BWV 1007 – 12:41
Suite No. 2 in D minor BWV 1008 – 13:32
Suite No. 3 in C Major BWV 1009 – 15:15
Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major BWV 1010 – 15:48
Suite No. 5 in C minor BWV 1011 – 15:58
Suite No. 6 in D Major BWV 1012 – 20:14
The full-size, 4-page, textured paper booklet (texts in French, German, and English) includes photos of Flachot with conductor Aram Khachaturian and extensive notes by Olivier Alain.
CONDITION – PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY:
The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.
The condition of the box is FAIR. The top two corners of the box top are a bit crushed (the left one with a slight tear as well) and there are two splits along the edge of the box top. In addition, there is some discoloration and creasing. On the plus side, there are no owners' markings or other defects and the box remains solid and presentation worthy – not a collector’s copy, but still a decent one.
The condition of the full-size 4-page, textured paper booklet is VERY GOOD. There is some bumping at corners and slight evidence of handling. However, the pages remain bright, crisp, and free of markings, the spine solid, the whole handsome – a very good collector’s copy.
The condition of the 3 LPs is near-MINT throughout. Visually, they retain a high gloss and are free of spindle trails and marks. In terms of sound, I will not say the surfaces are completely silent or flawless (thus, I have not rated it as MINT), but really they are quite close. If you must have an absolutely flawless copy, then do not buy this set. Overall, these LPs rate as truly fine collector's copies.
The images I've provided are of the actual item you are potentially bidding on - these are not stock images or images I've taken from other sites. Bid with confidence!
PAYMENT:
Payment by PayPal is greatly preferred. Payment should be made within 5 days.
SHIPPING:
Shipping is free to anywhere in the world; this is true regardless of the number of LPs you buy, be it 1 or a 100. All LPs will be sent via standard airmail (7-10 days delivery). Note: There is no tracking number provided with standard airmail. Should you wish to have your item(s) sent via certified airmail (i.e., with a tracking number), please contact me. The fee for this $5.00 USD.
FEEDBACK:
I will promptly leave feedback for all buyers. Please do not leave negative, or even neutral, feedback without first giving me an opportunity to resolve any dissatisfaction you might have with an item or transaction. I do understand that, on occasion, a buyer might believe the item description to be inaccurate or that a buyer may be disappointed in some other way regarding the sale. I promise I will do my very best to resolve any unhappiness you've experienced in your buying experience with me to your complete satisfaction. Thank you.
REFUNDS:
Returns are honored, and any buyer you makes a return will be refunded in full. Please contact me before making a return.
Please see my other classical LP and CD auctions, and feel free to write with any questions, I'll be glad to help.
