Soliloquies : Gonzalo X Ruiz

Gonzalo X Ruiz : Soliloquies.
Baroque oboist extraordinaire.

Gonzalo Ruiz explains: three works on this disc were composed for cello and the fourth for flute. The baroque oboe is not an instrument normally heard in an unaccompanied setting. I don't believe Bach ever envisioned that these particular pieces would be performed on oboe, although I like to think that he would approve. The truth is that I play them simply because I love them and have lived with them for many years.

When I first heard Johann Sebastian Bach's unaccompanied suites I practically had a crisis, fearing that I had picked the wrong instrument. My love for the oboe was shaken by the realization that there was nothing in its repertoire like these complete masterpieces for a single player, and suddenly my warmup routines seemed intolerably dry and boring next to those of cellists who started their day with a bracing round of Bach. It was years before I dared tackle an arrangement of one of them and then it was for strictly personal reasons. The suite became my main etude, my biggest challenge, and a constant companion that traveled everywhere in my instrument case. As the number of these arrangements grew, so did my abilities on the instrument. I found that working on them was the best way to prepare for the next concert, whatever repertoire it contained. I never thought I'd perform or record them, but over time I ceased to think of them as "music written for other instruments" and began to feel them simply as "music I enjoy playing".

Listeners familiar with these works will notice the ways in which I altered them to fit the oboe. These include the choice of key, some degree of octave transposition, and adapting or omitting many double stops, but in some cases they are simple esthetic choices. In measure 32 of the G minor Sarabande for instance, I suspect I am plausibly correcting a copyist's mistake in the surviving manuscript. In the repeat of measure 24 of the Sarabande of BWV1008 the F natural is not what Bach wrote but a beautiful alternative, and is dedicated to Anner Bylsma and Michael Marissen as my talisman against the risks involved in changing the text.

Songs:

License Baroque oboist extraordinaire by Gonzalo X Ruiz for your project.
Play the music of Gonzalo X Ruiz in your restaurant or store.

Release date: 9/24/2010
Gonzalo X Ruiz lives in California USA

Tagged as: Classical, Chamber Music, Baroque, Instrumental, Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Oboe

Recommended albums:

The Melodious Birde - Keyboard Music By William Byrd by Colin Booth: solo harpsichord music
Dolce Musica - A Contemplative Journey by Healing Muses: early music for healing
Messe a l'usage des Couvents by Craig Hanson: exquisitely moving Baroque organ music
Toujours l'Amour by Music of the Spheres: small Baroque chamber ensemble
Ciaconna by Ernst Stolz: Renaissance and Baroque beautiful music revealed by Dutch gambist and multi-instrumentalist
JS Bach Trios on Guitar by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
In a Garden So Green, Lute Music of Scotland by Voices of Music: Lilting Renaissance & Baroque vocal interpretations
Salutation by Poeticall Musicke: Late Renaissance and Early Baroque music, historically performed
The Four Seasons by Vivaldi by American Baroque: Spectacular Baroque and Classical chamber music
Pasquale Pericoli - Sei Sonate a Violoncello e basso by Vito Paternoster: cellist extraordinaire
Six Sonatas for Flute and Violin - Opus 51 - Boismortier by Duo de Bois: exquisite chamber music
Vitality and Virtuosity - Sonatas by Haydn and Beethoven by Ivan Ilic: dazzling classical pianist
Josquin des Prez Lute Settings by Jacob Heringman: renaissance lute
SL Weiss on 11 Strings by Paul Berget: renaissance lute, modernized.
Debut by AlmaNova: lively flute/guitar duo
JS Bach on 8 string guitar, vol 1 by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
JS Bach on 8 string guitar, vol 2 by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
Reverie by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
JS Bach on Guitar and Ukulele by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
Bach Cello Suites on 8 String Guitar volume 2 by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar

Downloads:

MP3: High quality MP3 variable-bit-rate files. Most people download these: they are audiophile files that play everywhere.
ALAC: Perfect quality Apple Lossless format files. If you use iTunes or an iPod, get these. They're an exact audio copy of the original CD, and include the CD artwork and artist info. This is the same format as High Definition audio provided by the iTunes store.
AAC: High quality Apple Audio Codec files. If you use iTunes or an iPod, these files sound great and include CD art and artist info. This is the standard format provided by the iTunes music store.
WAV: Perfect quality WAV files. This format works everywhere, and is an exact audio copy of the original CD. It sounds fantastic. Album art and artist info is unfortunately not possible with this format.
FLAC Perfect quality open source FLAC files. This is an open source audio format. It is an exact copy of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
OGG: High quality open source OGG files. This is an open source audio format. It is a compressed (smaller file size) version of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
128k: Medium quality 128K MP3 files. These are medium audio quality MP3 files that will work on every device. The audio quality is good enough for most uses. These files are intended for cases where you want to conserve disk space.