Anja Lechner Brings Life on the Cello to Works Originally Written for Viol

By Miranda Wilson | From the January/February 2025 issue of Strings

By the 18th century, the cello had mostly superseded the viola da gamba, and many former gambists, foreseeing the inevitable, made the switch. There is therefore much potential for “crossover” in the Baroque repertoire for both instruments. This new release by German cellist Anja Lechner juxtaposes the first two Bach suites with pieces for viola da gamba played on the cello. Of these, eight are by the Scottish soldier-composer and passionate viol advocate Tobias Hume (ca. 1579–1645). Two are by Carl Friedrich Abel, son of Christian Ferdinand Abel, Bach’s colleague at the court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen and possible first performer of Bach’s cello suites. 

Abel’s 1787 obituary noted sadly that the viola da gamba “would probably die with him.” Luckily for cellists, his work translates well to their instrument, and Lechner’s persuasive interpretations will likely attract more cellists to the repertoire. A glance at the original scores of Abel’s Drexel 5871 manuscript show a few five-note chords that need adaptation for the cello’s four strings, but Lechner’s revoicings in the D minor Arpeggio never compromise the harmonic intention. The listener may miss the melancholy timbre of the viol in an Adagio from the same collection, but the beautifully spacious tone of Lechner’s cello is still convincing.

The Abel pieces segue convincingly into Bach’s first two cello suites. In the G major, Lechner’s moderate tempi and “speaking” phrase-shapes create the same sense of spaciousness that she brings to the Abel works. In the final five block chords to the D minor, which always present a dilemma for cellists, Lechner creates one of the most interesting arpeggiated improvisations on record. Her dark, dignified interpretations of the D minor Allemande and Sarabande are almost viol-like in tone and pacing.

Next to these serious works, the Hume compositions are a welcome contrast. The album opens with three (A Question; An Answer; Harke, Harke) and closes with five more, the colorfully titled Hit It in the Middle, Tom and Mistresse Fine, The New Cut, A Pollish Ayre, and Touch Me Lightly. The lighthearted tone of Hit It and folk-like modes and rhythms of Pollish Ayre bring some humor into the collection. The closing Touch Me Lightly, with its chains of double-stops, arpeggios, and sul ponticello sections, leaves the listener hoping for more cello versions of viola da gamba repertoire.