J.S. Bach: Cello Suites, Vol. 1 (Arr. for Theorbo by Yasunori Imamura)

Featuring

Yasunori Imamura
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Instruments

The theorbo, a long-necked Baroque instrument similar to the chitarrone, has a lowest note of G1 and a highest open string of B3, giving it a range comparable to the cello.

Composition History

Bach is believed to have written the Cello Suites between 1717 and 1723 while he was Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen in Cöthen, Saxony.

Critical Reception

Bach's Cello Suites were largely unknown for 150 years after his death, considered academic and mechanical, until Pablo Casals rediscovered and championed them.

Performer Biography

Yasunori Imamura, the performer on this album, is a professor of lute at conservatories in Strasbourg and Frankfurt, and has received numerous awards for his solo recordings.

Composer Biography

The original manuscripts for Bach's Cello Suites have been lost, and the earliest surviving source is in the handwriting of his wife, Anna Magdalena Bach.

Notable Performances

Pablo Casals, a great Spanish cellist, discovered a copy of Bach's Cello Suites and studied them daily for twelve years before daring to perform them publicly at age 25.

Interpretation

Yasunori Imamura, the lutenist on this album, chose the theorbo for Bach's Cello Suites because its range is similar to the cello, allowing for a deep, rich, and soulful resonance.