Award-winning Baroque violinist Rachel Podger plays Bach’s six Cello Suites in her own transcriptions for her instrument. Following Bach's own habit of recycling music for different instruments, Podger brings a new perspective to these beloved solo works.
Featuring
Rachel Podger
Johann Sebastian Bach
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Performer Biography
Rachel Podger, a leading interpreter of Baroque and Classical music, was the first woman to receive the Royal Academy of Music/Kohn Foundation Bach Prize in October 2015.
Composition History
The six Cello Suites were composed by Bach around 1720 for the gambist and cellist Ferdinand Christian Abel, making them the first important compositions for solo violoncello.
Compositional Technique
Bach's Cello Suites are monumental examples of polyphonic compositions for a solo string instrument, pushing the technical boundaries of the cello to create the impression of multiple melodic lines from a single voice.
Interpretation
For the Sixth Cello Suite, originally for a 5-string cello, Rachel Podger uses her own violin with a viola C string for the low phrases.
Composer Biography
J.S. Bach worked as 'Hofkapellmeister' for Prince Leopold von Anhalt-Köthen from 1717 to 1723, focusing primarily on secular instrumental music during this period.
Performer Biography
Rachel Podger is the founder and Artistic Director of the Brecon Baroque Festival and her ensemble, Brecon Baroque.
Interpretation
Rachel Podger plays the first five Cello Suites a fifth and an octave above their original pitch on the violin.
