ANNER BYLSMA, VIOLONCELLO, AT THE JIM BUCK ROSS AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY
MUSEUM CHAPEL, FEBRUARY 16, 1997.

   One of the enduring images of the Woodstock Jazz Festival in the late
1960s is that of a lone cellist in a semidarkened room playing from one
of the J.S. Bach Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. Anner Bylsma not only
recreated that image but enlarged and amplified it. The chapel, formerly
the Episcopal Church at Hermanville, MS, (and still in service in the
Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi), dates from the 19th century, and is
made almost entirely of wood, the same material of which the cello is
made. This lent an intangible resonance to the performance, and, together
with the great intimacy of the room (I could see the strings vibrate)
made for a memorable program. Bylsma  is well-known as a cellist, 
especially in Europe, both through concerts and recordings. He opened with 
the Suite No. 1 in G major (BWV 1007), then played the Suite No. 3 in C major
(BWV 1009), and, after an intermission, closed with the Suite No. 5 in
C minor (BWV 1011), all by Bach and all unaccompanied. Each suite consisted
of a Prelude, an Allemande, a Courante, a Sarabande, a Minuet or Bouree or
Gavotte, and a Gigue. These are all quite different dance forms, and provided
rhythmic contrast. Bylsma, using a period instrument by Gulfrillier, played
with the feeling and sensitivity that comes with a lifetime of committment
to the music. The nature of the instrument is such that one gets an
impression of full harmonic (and polyphonic) development; of all the
stringed instruments the cello probably most closely matches the tonal
range of our singing and hearing, from bass to soprano. This makes it
especially effective for unaccompanied playing, and given the remarkable
qualities of the composer, the performer, the instrument, and the room,
this was a performance that will be remembered for a long time.

   Again we must thank the Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music for
yet another wonderful program. 
                                                  - Glenn A. Gentry