The Leipzig luthier Johann Christian Hoffmann built a type of five-stringed violoncello piccolo that may correspond to the instrument Bach mentioned in his cantatas and required for the Sixth Suite.
Performer Biography
Alexander Chance, a countertenor on this album, was the first countertenor to win the International Handel Singing Competition in 2022, also receiving the Audience Prize.
Compositional Technique
Bach's Suite No. 6 for solo cello, BWV 1012, requires an instrument with five strings, including an additional upper string, which gives the work its luminous color.
Instruments
The violoncello piccolo, a smaller cello, was specifically requested by Bach in nine of his church cantatas for virtuoso solo parts.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Johann Sebastian Bach's instrumental forces for his church music in Leipzig demonstrate his enthusiasm for varied colors, both old and new, and his fascination with instrument making.
Performer Biography
Le Banquet Céleste, the ensemble on this album, was founded in 2009 and explores European Baroque repertoire on historic instruments.
Instruments
The violoncello piccolo has a special timbre that can be grave and passionate, yet also wiry and sensitive, often embodying tenderness and consolation in arias.
