Recording the Bach Suites

Today marks the release of my new album — the complete Cello Suites by J.S. Bach, recorded here in Aotearoa New Zealand, and released on Atoll Records.

For every cellist, the Bach Suites are a lifelong companion. They’re the works we grow up with, return to, question, rediscover. I’ve played them since I first picked up the cello, and they’ve changed as I’ve changed, through different teachers, countries, and chapters of life. This recording is a snapshot of where that journey has brought me, my personal conversation with Bach.

When I began this project, I didn’t want to create a “definitive” version. I don't think that's possible - we have to find our own voice in this music. The Suites are written with such openness: there are no dynamics, no phrasing marks, barely any guidance.

That sense of freedom became the heart of this recording. I wanted to approach each phrase as if it were being discovered in the moment, to let the music feel improvised, spontaneous, alive. Bach was, after all, one of the greatest improvisers in history. Each suite is a snapshot of our humanity — joy, grief, dance, devotion — and I wanted to let all of that breathe freely through the cello.

Sound was another guiding force. The cello has such a vast expressive range — it can sing, whisper, laugh, or weep. I explored every corner of that sound world: the resonance of open strings, the soft intimacy of a single quiet line, the percussive energy of the dance movements.

Recording the Suites here in New Zealand felt deeply meaningful. I believe this is the first complete Bach Cello Suites recorded in Aotearoa, and that sense of place contributed to shaping my interpretation. There’s something about the landscape, the bird song, the light that inevitably finds its way into the sound - and of course, the Wellington winds!

This album is also the beginning of a larger journey. In the coming year, I’ll release two more recordings — one dedicated to the music of Clara Wieck Schumann, and another called Forbidden Voices, featuring musicians whose work was silenced by the Nazi regime.

For me, the Bach Suites are not just music, they’re life itself. They grow as we grow. They never stay the same. They are not something distant or sacred, but alive, intimate, human, and constantly renewing. They have freedom and emotional range that continues to be relevant today.

Bach: The Cello Suites is out now on Atoll Records and all major streaming platforms.