Baroque cellist takes on Bach's great challenge

By TARA WERNER

The cellist Pablo Casals said that playing a movement every day from one of Bach's suites for solo cello was essential to him.

"For the past 80 years I have started each day in the same manner," he said. "I play Bach. I cannot think of doing otherwise. It is a sort of benediction. The music is never the same for me, never. Each day it is something new, fantastic and unbelievable."

For English cellist Susan Sheppard, Casals' legacy is a mixed blessing.

In Auckland to perform Bach's six cello suites, this artist-in-residence at the School of Music feels that Casals elevated the music to such heights that he made it difficult for others to follow in his footsteps.

"It can be a real burden for cellists," Sheppard says.

"Yes, he is our greatest hero. But it took him a full decade of study before he dared play the suites in public, which meant that people can get quite intimated about playing the suites.

"To me they are still among the great works for the cello, but we all can bring our own experience to them."

Performing the suites is, for a cellist, akin to scaling Mt Everest, since they require such an excellent technique. They have been described as being perfect music in form and shape - the sonic equivalent of walking around a set of elegant, intriguing abstract sculptures.

But Sheppard points out that they are also quite approachable for cellists and audiences alike.

"All the movements have a wonderful dance-like quality to them and are best played as written, from No 1 to No 6. They have an incredible progression to them, from the very unassuming first suite to the last which is very sophisticated."

Sheppard's unassuming manner belies the fact that she is one of a rare breed of world-class baroque cello specialists. She plays two replicas of instruments available in Bach's lifetime.

The five-string cello - used to play the final suite because of its ability to produce very high notes - is based on a 1600 Amati, and the standard four-string version is a copy of a 1701 Stradivarius.

The difference in sound that the baroque cello produces compared with modern instruments can require a certain adjustment for listeners, Sheppard says.

"It doesn't lend itself to the 'big' approach. The sound is much more resonant but less projecting.

"After all, it was composed to be played in relatively small rooms, not the Albert Hall."

Sheppard is regarded as one of Britain's leading baroque cellists and has played principal cello with the London Classical Players, the Ancient Academy of Music and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

She says that camaraderie between early-music players is considerable and there is a strong team approach.

Sheppard teaches baroque cello at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and thoroughly enjoys passing on her knowledge to others. While at Auckland's School of Music she is giving a master class and individual lessons.

As if presenting the entire cycle of the Bach suites isn't enough, she is also performing with the baroque ensemble Extempore and giving two recitals on behalf of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The major downside to baroque cellos is that they are notoriously difficult to keep in tune because of their gut strings and Sheppard bemoans the fact that Auckland's humidity has caused her some difficulty when practising.

* Bach's solo cello suites, Susan Sheppard at the School of Music from April 11 to 13; Hopetoun Alpha, April 18.