Bach Cello

“J. S. Bach’s Cello Suites are somehow hypnotic. An austere work, an instrument, a performer, a single voice and yet we begin to listen to them and are introduced into a path which inevitably leads us inwards, and makes us aware of our absolute solitude facing the universe and the unknown.

The six Cello Suites, BWV 1007–1012, are suites for unaccompanied cello by Johann Sebastian Bach. They are some of the most frequently performed solo compositions ever written for cello. Bach most likely composed them during the period 1717–1723, when he served as Kapellmeister in Köthen. The title given on the cover of the Anna Magdalena Bach manuscript was Suites à Violoncello Solo senza Basso (Suites for cello solo without bass).

J.S. Bach completed his six suites for solo cello in 1723. Since then, these works have become pillars of the repertoire, influencing many of the 20th century’s works for the instrument. This recording project is a celebration of the 300th anniversary of the completion of the suites and of their far reaching impact on composers of our time. In addition to recording all of the suites, Erica Wise has commissioned six short works for solo cello, each inspired by Bach and his work.

“For me, whenever I play the Bach suites, all of a sudden I find myself visualising Giacometti’s hands incessantly moulding the earthen clay until a face appears. Getting to grips with the Bach suites is very closely related to that sense. You have to dig deeply into the string to give birth to the phrase, to make sure it breathes correctly: a phrase that is perpetually becoming, endlessly making and remaking itself. I waited a long time before recording these suites. Then one day, or rather one night, I began.Then there was my meeting with Sarah Moon. When I first felt my longing to record the Bach suites, I dreamt constantly of her images; because whenever I look at them I think of the creation of the world, the separation of the waters, the earth appearing, all before the beginning of history.”

„Magie faszinierender Cellokünste“, „kontemplative Tiefe“, „Vorschein erfüllter ästhetischer Utopie“,
schrieb die „Süddeutsche Zeitung“ über das Cellospiel von David Stromberg.

Italian cellist Massimiliano Martinelli is one of the most talented musicians on the international scene today. His album “Bach – Complete Cello Suites”, published under the Halidonmusic label, quickly surpassed 4 million views on YouTube after its initial release – making it one of the most popular recordings of the Bach Suites for Solo Cello on the platform.

J.S. Bach’s Cello Suites are believed to have been written in the Saxon town of Cöthen between 1717 and 1723. They stand near the apex of Bach’s compositions for a single instrument and contain some of his most beautiful and vivid writing.

The Franco-American cellist Sonia Wieder-Atherton has always sought to make music a language open to the world. A prizewinner in the Rostropovich Competition at the age of twenty-five, she is the interpreter of choice for many contemporary composers, among them Pascal Dusapin and Wolfgang Rihm…

This is the first time the famous J.S. Bach Cello Suites are recorded and released performed on violin. Who would be a better candidate for this adventure than the 'Queen of the Baroque Violin' (Sunday Times), Rachel Podger?