Bach Cello Suites

Album Description

Cellist Zuill Bailey releases his Bach Suites for Solo Cello on February 2, 2010. All six suites were recorded in one week at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City in December, 2008, following years of preparation by Mr. Bailey. "I was unaware of the depths of the music as a young person, but came to realize that there are so many ways of interpreting Bach that it channels where a cellist is at that precise moment. It has become such a personal journey for me."

Zuill Bailey performs on a 1693 Matteo Gofriller Cello, formerly owned by Mischa Schneider of the Budapest String Quartet. The first surviving manuscripts of Bach's Cello Suites date from the middle and late 1720's. Bach's Suites disappeared from public view during the decades after his death. It was not until the early 20th century, when cellist Pablo Casals helped the works emerge from obscurity. "My evolution with these pieces mirrors the way the Bach Suites were actually perceived over the centuries. This has been my greatest musical undertaking so far," Bailey said.

Today, cellists regard the works as the pinnacle of their repertoire. "The Bach Cello Suites are the center point of my existence, and I think I speak for all cellists when I say that the music is the Cellistic Bible." Bailey adds, "For me, Bach is the mirror to the soul, and this recording of the Cello Suites truly reflects what is inside of me."