Bach - Cello Suites

Armenian-born Suren Bagratuni is a compelling, highly individual cellist who can make his instrument sing even in difficult 20th-century music. Winner of the silver medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition, he wound up on the faculty of the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He has the potential to become a cult figure: a vivid musical personality who records only intermittently on small, hard-to-find labels. His traversal of the Bach suites would surely turn heads if it came within range of many ears; it is captivating, occasionally controversial, and always expressive. In the G-Major Suite, Bagratuni quickly reaches escape velocity; he zips right through the Prelude (this seems to be a common practice among Russian-trained cellists), and, after a light Allemande, propels the Courante with nervous energy. His Sarabande is warmer and more meditative, and he eases more gently into the line in the Minuets and Gigue. More >>>>