Ailbhe McDonagh claims to be the first Irish cellist to have recorded Bach’s six suites. Does that give unique distinction to the lively rhythmic kick in her Gigue movements? Not necessarily, because you hear comparably vital Gigues from non-Irish cellists. And if there’s anything markedly Irish (or German, French, Italian, American, or Martian, for that matter) about the tasteful understatement and supple lightness characterizing her interpretations, I can’t hear it.
McDonagh’s straightforward yet subtly inflected Preludes are good examples of her approach, as are the fluidly shaped Courantes. The D minor Minuets convey a leisurely lilt absent from recent readings that overdose on agogics, while the cellist’s inner “swing” and carefully scaled dynamics throughout the E-flat Bourées simply delight. Some listeners may find her Sarabandes underplayed, lacking heft and gravitas. The D major suite’s high tessitura always challenges those who play this work on a conventional four-string cello, and, indeed, slow sustained notes cause occasional intonation problems. Quibbles aside, these are fine “middle of the road” performances marked by un-selfregarding simplicity, and they’re well-engineered too.
