Bach Cello Suites

Alisa Weilerstein (cello)

After her acclaimed PENTATONE debut with Transfigured Night , Alisa Weilerstein returns with a complete recording of Bach’s Cello Suites. These pieces present the highest mountain to climb for any cellist, and one of the most transcendent and rewarding experiences for listeners alike. With his suites, Bach crafted — essentially without direct precedent — a body of solo cello music that forever defined the genre and brought the Baroque cello on par with its more popular cousin, the viola da gamba. Since Pablo Casals put them in the limelight again after 150 years of relative oblivion, Bach’s suites have become the alpha and omega for generations of cellists. To Weilerstein, the joy of this music — vibrant, contemporary, unquestionably alive — is the joy of her interpretation to the listener.

Since signing an exclusive contract PENTATONE, Alisa Weilerstein has released Transfigured Night (2018), and featured on Inon Barnatan’s Beet hoven Piano Concert os Part 1 as well as Old Souls, an album with music for flute and strings (both released in 2019).

Bach, J S:
 Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV1007
 Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV1008
 Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV1009
 Cello Suite No. 4 in E flat major, BWV1010
 Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV1011
 Cello Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV1012

"Weilerstein’s special qualities? Her resolve to allow each movement of each suite to shine on its own terms. Hers is not an overview systematically imposed but more a way to facilitate the cycle’s immense expressive range piecemeal. Not that the best of her rivals don’t; but with Weilerstein you enjoy the sensation of being escorted through a Baroque dance hall by an all-encompassing commentator with a comprehensive understanding of what she plays."
Gramophone Magazine - July 2020

"Alisa Weilerstein speelde aan haar huiskamer gekluisterd door de coronacrisis in maart en april elke dag een deel uit Bachs cellosuites ‘live’ op Facebook.
Gelukkig staat ‘deze ontdekkingsreis door Bachs ongeëvenaarde wereld’ ook op twee cd’s. Weilerstein richt zich in deze fameuze cellosuites vooral op de lyriek. En zo onderstreept ze de ongekende melodische gaven van Bach."
Klassieke Zaken Magazine 4-2020