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FROM A PERSONAL INVESTIGATION TO A LONG PROJECT including relearning the bowing technique, playing the basses on the up bow.
upside down?!
"In October 2014, because of the similarity between the bass viol and the cello, I tried to inverse the bowing technique of the violoncello in the Bach Cello Suites. I played the basses on the UP bow. During this experiment, I instantaneously felt a better response from the instrument and by consequence, more resonance.
This experience led me to start a project including: a research about the origins, the setup, and the bowing technique of the violoncello, the making of a new Urtext edition, and the recording of this edition on the most authentic set-up.
The sound was my guide. My goal was to reach a connection between the vibration of the violoncello and the harmony in order to let Bach's music make its magic. »
MD
a journey
Marianne began her researches in 2011. She first investigated the technique, posture and resonance of the instrument always using the Bach Cello Suites as a reference. In 2014, as she was still looking for more answers, Marianne moved to Berlin and started to work full time on her project. Once in Berlin, she first worked with makers of baroque instruments, had encounters with baroque specialists, made her research in libraries including the research institut for musicology of Berlin. Following this process, she wrote a publication about the violoncello, its origin, technique, set -up and evolution. She also made a new edition of the Bach Cello Suites and recorded it with the instruments of the project (full baroque set up).
. PROJECT TIMELINE
Arrived in Berlin
09/03/2014
Started the search of the bow for the Suites
09/10/2014
The Baroque Cello of the project
09/15/2014
Made by Daniel König in Leipzig
09/26/2014
What if a dow stroke was an up bow in cello playing?
10/10/2014
The strings
10/21/2014
Set of strings made by Pure Cordes, Potsdam
Understanding how to write slurs...
11/03/2014
URTEXT EDITION
10/14/2014
Making the new urtext edition
October 2014-December 2015
THE BOW!
11/28/2014
Mr. Reiners was of a precious help. I asked him for a model of bow that was used in Germany when Bach composed the Suites. A clip in frog bow.
Kept exploring the set-up possibilities in Leipzig
03/14/2015
With Daniel König, the maker of the cello
Meeting with Ton Koopman
06/25/2015
A very helpful meeting where we talked about phrasing with Maestro Koopman, I also explained my technique to him and received his encouragements
RECORDED THE 6 SUITES
03/17/2016
5 days at the B#Sharp Studio in Berlin
Meeting with Yo-Yo Ma
10/26/2016
A Very nice meeting with Yo-Yo Ma, where he gave me his support
Received Ton Koopman's comments about the recording
09/03/2018
"I listened to the 6 Bach suites with pleasure. Very well done, I liked very much the resonance, intonation and the way of playing. Very convincing. A very good work and great success technically."
The New Edition
09/03/2017
Entered my Urtext edition of the Suites in the computer (the one of the recording)
Signed with URANIA RECORDS
01/15/2018
The recording
2018
How did you make this discovery?
I became aware of the fact that the baroque cello resonates far more when you reverse the bow strokes, which is very similar to the method of bowing on the viola da gamba.
(...) I then explored this idea and began playing the prelude of the First Suite on an up bow, which had seemd to me to be completely irrational. This experiment convinced me, I felt the vibration of the violoncello ad my arm followed the order of the strings in the arpeggios. The idea of reversing the bowing technique seemed to me illogical for a cellist but the more I experienced it, the more I became convinced I had keep exploring this topic.
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order - download - streaming
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The Edition
A NEW URTEXT EDITION
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A NEW urtext edition of the Bach Cello Suites
The new edition can be played with "regular" technique, with strong bow on the down; or with the strong bow on the up bow (like on the gamba).
The edition will be available for download on this website in 2022.