Mischa Maisky & Bach Suites

Repertoire

Performers

Programme notes

The mystery remains: Why did Bach write the six Cello Suites? Where did he get the idea from? No other composer of the time wrote anything like it dedicated to the cello, an instrument that still had a long way to go before it was considered a solo instrument. Why wasn’t it enough to compose just one Suite, or two, or three? He wrote Six! These are not minor works, or research papers, or sporadic notes.

The Cello Suites are majestic, imposing works, created with every detail and dedication, architecturally impeccable. Thanks to Pau Casals’ rediscovery of them at the beginning of the 20th century, any good cellist nowadays plays one of them, but playing three in a single recital is only available to the chosen ones. The greatest difficulty in interpreting these works —except for the technical part— is to understand them in a global, unitary way. The key is to make an interpretive proposal that does not present them in a fragmented way but maintains coherence throughout the entire collection. Mischa Maisky recorded the complete works in 1985 and has since taken a version of it around the world. having just turned 74 years of age, Maisky is a true living legend.