Cello Suites 1, 4 & 5 - Bach
Bach said that music was the right notes in the right places. This begs the question: what are the right notes, what is their pitch, duration and intensity, and where exactly are the right places? Bach's oversimplification takes no account of the performers' contribution, which is of such importance and can make two performances of the same work so different.
William Butt's recital, the first of two Sunday recitals in which he plays all of Bach's cello suites in St Ann's Church, Dawson Street, had the right notes in the right places, and one could marvel at the composer's balance of harmony and melody, the fecund invention in the Preludes, the vitality of the Minuets and Gavottes, the deep feeling of the Sarabandes and the rapid virtuosity of the Gigues.
But William Butt failed to impart that serenity or ordering of sound which transcends the mechanics of performance. He had a strong sense of attack, but his tone was generally lacking in sweetness.