Britten – Cello Suites
‘Evidence of Quirine Viersen’s pedigree in period performance is inescapable in her performance of Britten’s three cello suites. Her recording of the Bach Suites (2011) is a light and gentle reading, and similarly her bowing on this new disc is light enough to articulate the references to the Bach that are scattered through all three of Britten’s suites – although nowhere more than in the First, and in particular in the Fuga, where those references are made readily discernible by Viersen without losing any subtlety.
— Gramophone
The direction also often flows towards the centre of her phrases, rather than the end: the implied (although not actual) presence of a Baroque bow is very firm, and as a result the legacy of the Bach suites – to which Rostropovich was so devoted – is uppermost in this elegant recording.’
‘[…] she brings clarity of both vision and articulation. Her rhythms are taut and the music flows naturally, whether in the narrative of the Cantos or the more purely musical exercising of the various Fugas.
— The Strad
Each suite feels like a journey, rather than a collection of individual movements, and there’s a special poignancy to the more mortality-aware Third Suite, culminating in a deeply felt Passacaglia. A recording of the three suites that can stand alongside the best.’
‘Viersen plays this music with notable accuracy mixed with a passionate determination that goes a long way, […] her overall accuracy is quite remarkable. She also expresses certain elements with humor that balances the angry attitude necessary for much of this music.’
— American Record Guide
‘Muzikaal-technisch levert Viersen een fenomenale prestatie, maar zij kruipt bovendien met groot gevoel achter de noten en geeft er een lading aan die je in ontzag doet toehoren.’
— Trouw *****