J. S. Bach: The Cello Suites Antonio Meneses

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007:
• 1 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude 02:30
• 2 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: II. Allemande 04:13
• 3 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: III. Courante 02:52
• 4 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande 02:48
• 5 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: V. Menuets I & II 03:33
• 6 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: VI. Gigue 01:52
• Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008:
• 7 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: I. Prélude 03:54
• 8 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: II. Allemande 03:33
• 9 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: III. Courante 02:12
• 10 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: IV. Sarabande 04:26
• 11 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: V. Menuets I & II 03:21
• 12 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: VI. Gigue 02:42
• Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009:
• 13 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: I. Prélude 03:14
• 14 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: II. Allemande 03:54
• 15 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: III. Courante 03:19
• 16 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: IV. Sarabande 03:52
• 17 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: V. Bourrées I & II 03:40
• 18 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: VI. Gigue 03:19
• Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010:
• 19 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: I. Prélude 04:02
• 20 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: II. Allemande 04:05
• 21 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: III. Courante 03:45
• 22 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: IV. Sarabande 04:01
• 23 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: V. Bourrées I & II 05:04
• 24 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: VI. Gigue 02:49
• Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011:
• 25 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: I. Prélude 06:11
• 26 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: II. Allemande 05:13
• 27 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: III. Courante 02:15
• 28 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: IV. Sarabande 02:58
• 29 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: V. Gavottes I & II 04:46
• 30 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: VI. Gigue 02:27
• Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012:
• 31 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: I. Prélude 05:22
• 32 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: II. Allemande 07:29
• 33 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: III. Courante 03:52
• 34 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: IV. Sarabande 04:53
• 35 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: V. Gavottes I & II 04:14
• 36 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: VI. Gigue 04:29
• Total Runtime 02:17:09

Info for J. S. Bach: The Cello Suites

In between the ages, one composer stands out and his memorable works remain. We're talking about Johann Sebastian Bach's Six Suites for Solo Cello, a creation whose value transcends time. With Antonio Meneses on cello, Bach's legacy finds an incomparable interpreter. The first single from this album will be "Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude", one of the Baroque master's most celebrated compositions.

A set of memorable pieces, a composer whose primacy spans the ages, an incomparable interpreter. This is the Six Suites for Solo Cello (ca. 1720) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), performed by Antonio Meneses. His new project, BACH: THE CELLO SUITES, records them in their entirety and will be released in 2023 by Azul Music. The first single from the album, Cello Suite No. 1 In G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude, features one of the Baroque master's most cherished passages.

In his life dedicated to music - and in his superlative career, including first prize in the ARD (1977) and Tchaikovsky (1982) Competitions, as well as partnerships with names such as Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989), Claudio Abbado (1933-2014) and Mstislav Rostropovich (1927-2007) - Meneses has long contemplated this Bachian legacy. He has recorded it in the past, taken it to audiences and now, in his words, returns to the studio invigorated by "a new perspective on these eternally significant works".

Consistent with the genre and the era, Prélude precedes the other movements of Suite No. 1, embracing in itself complete music, of a free and somewhat improvisatory nature. Meneses embodies these traits in such a way that the recording rises as if from the poetic spark of the compositional act, three centuries after its birth. There is no ambivalence in the fact that his long-standing intimacy with this repertoire brings the sensation of the first time to even the most knowledgeable listeners. The gaze of a great interpreter is not repeated or imitated. His ultimate mystery lies in giving each encounter with the works that core of a singular nature: life.

Antonio Meneses, cello

Antonio Meneses
Born in Recife, Brazil, in 1957 into a family of musicians, Antonio Meneses began his cello studies at the age of ten. At 16, he met the famous Italian cellist Antonio Janigro and was asked to join Janigro's classes in Düsseldorf and later in Stuttgart.

He won the first Prize at the 1977 ARD International Competition in Munich and was awarded First Prize and Gold Medal at the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

Appearing in the music capitals of Europe, the Americas and Asia, Antonio Meneses performs with most of the world's leading orchestras (in Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Vienna, Paris, Prague, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Munich, New York, Philadelphia Washington D.C. or Tokyo.

Among the conductors with whom he has collaborated are Claudio Abbado, Gerd Albrecht, Herbert Blomstedt, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, Sir Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Daniele Gatti, Neeme Järvi, Mariss Jansons, Herbert von Karajan, Riccardo Muti, Eiji Oue, André Previn, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Kurt Sanderling, Yuri Temirkanov or Christian Thielemann.

A devoted chamber musician, Antonio Meneses was a member of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio between October 1998 and September 2008. He has collaborated with the Vermeer Quartet on tour and gives chamber music concerts and duo recitals with pianists such as Menahem Pressler and Maria João Pires.

As a recording artist, Antonio Meneses has made two recordings for Deutsche Grammophon with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Brahms' Double Concerto with Anne- Sophie Mutter and Richard Strauss' Don Quixote). He has released the complete works for cello by Villa-Lobos (Auvidis France and Bis), David Popper and CPE Bach (Pan Records).

For AVIE, his recordings include the Six Bach Cello Suites; the complete works for Cello and Piano by Schubert and Schumann with Gérard Wyss; a Beethoven disc with Menahem Pressler; Haydn's Cello Concertos and the Concertino by Clovis Pereira with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, and a CD of Elgar and Gál Cello Concertos with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Claudio Cruz, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for 'Best Classical Instrumental Solo'.

His first recording with Maria João Pires, The Wigmore Hall Recital, was released in September 2013 for Deutsche Grammophon. Recent highlights include performances with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Maxim Vengerov at the Barbican Centre; appearances at Aldeburgh and at the Edinburgh International Festivals; recitals at Wigmore Hall; ongoing touring projects with Maria João Pires, among others.

In 2015-2016, Antonio Meneses performs with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta on tour, with different orchestras in South America, among others; giving solo recitals among other in London at Wigmore Hall and recitals with piano with Maria João Pires in Japan and later in Europe but also at the Puerto Rico Festival.

In addition to his busy concert schedule, Antonio Meneses regularly gives masterclasses in Europe (Madrid – Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, Siena – Accademia Musicale Chigiana -), the Americas (Domaine Forget) and Japan (Tokyo University), as well as teaching at the Bern Conservatory since 2008.

This album contains no booklet.