Recordings of the Bach Cello Suit

Bach Cello Suites : recordings

From the very first to the ultimate release

Best version of the Bach cello suites?

331 cellists answered this question (Survey from 2017)

"Who is your favorite interpreter of the Bach cello suites?  

Top 5:

  • A. Bylsma 
  • Yo-Yo Ma
  • Pablo Casals
  • J-G Queyras
  • Pierter Yispelwey

TOP 8 (2017)

A BYLSMA

YO-YO MA

P CASALS

J-G QUEYRAS

P WISPELWEY

P FOURNIER

M ROSTROPOVITCH

S ISSERLIS

  More results suggested (by alphabetical order)

D BADIAROV

Da Spalla

A BAUER

S BAGRATUNI

Z BAILEY

M BRUNELLO

J BECKTELL

L CLARET

P CARRAI

C CARR

J. DU PRE

T DEMENGA

O GAILLARD

D GAISFORD

A GASTINEL

N GUTMANN

M HAIMOVITZ

N HARNONCOURT

R KIRSHBAUM

JAAP TER LINDEN

G LIPKIND

L LUCKERT

M MAISKY

A MENESES

T MORK

P OLEFSKY

P PANDOLFO

Viola da gamba

V PATERNOSTER

B PERGAMENSHCHIKOW

D ROHMANN

H SCHIFF

I SERGEV

D SHAFRAN

J STARKER

P. TORTELIER

I VARDAI

L VARGA

J. VOGLER

D WATKINS

W ZELENKA

B ZHU

R ZIPPERLING

FRED ZLOTKIN

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history of the recorDings

First four recordings of the 6 Bach Cello Suites...

N°1. 
1938 : PABLO CASALS

Pablo Casals Bach Cello Suites
Pablo casals was 13 years old when he bought an edition of the Bach cello Suites in a second hand music store in Barcelona. By the age of 26, he started the revival of this masterpiece in performances.
1938: The first recording of the 6 Cello Suites was born...

N°2
1953: iwan D'Archambeau

Iwan D'Archambeau Bach Cello Suites
Belgium Cellist born in 1879 – passed away in December 1955
Iwan D'archambeau was a member of the Flonzaley Quartet from 1903 til 1929.
He was the second cellist who recorded the 6 Bach Cello Suites in April 1953.

N°3. 
1955: ENRICO Mainardi

Enrico Mainardi recorded the Suites in 1950 and 1955

N°4 
1957: ANNLIES SCHMIDT

German cellist Annlies Schmidt studied in Berlin with Emanuel Feuermann to whom she dedicated this recording. 

Her recording of the Cello Suites was the first recording following closely Anna-Magdalena Bach manuscripts with an historical set-up / baroque set-up.


about Anner bylsma

Anner Bylsma
  • Two recordings of the Suites:  1979 and 1992
1979: His first recording had a major impact in the interpretation of the Suites, he inspired many cellists to follow his HIP* steps. 


  • Was he the first cellist to record the Suites on period instrument?
NO, the first cellist to make this kind of project and recording was Annlies Schmidt, with her 1957 recording of the Suites. She also followed closely the Anna Magdalena Bach Manuscript, playing on guts strings, with a baroque bow, and the 6th Suite on a 5 string cello.
His second recording of the Suites was played on the Servais Cello, and was released in 1992.

* HIP: historically informed performance

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All THE RECORDINGS OF THE 6 BACH CELLO SUITES
from 1938 til 2022

More than 200 Journeys into Bach's magnificent 6 Suites for violoncello solo...

If you know of a recording and would like to submit it, please send the informations to the webmaster... (include cover, name and year of release if you can) thank you!


  • Pablo Casals Bach Cello Suites
  • Marianne Dumas - Bach Cello Suites
  • Iwan D'Archambeau Bach Cello Suites
  • Mario Brunello Bach cello suites
  • Anne Gastinel Bach cello suites
  • Goldschlager, Michael - Bach Cello Suites
  • Jerbic, Marjan - Bach Cello Suites
  • George Neikrug - Bach Cello Suites
  • Annlies Schmidt Bach Cello Suites
  • Lesser Bach Cello Suites
  • George Neikrug - Bach Cello Suites
  • Emmanuelle Bertrand Bach Cello Suites
  • Paul Dwyer

1930- 1960

Casals, Pau

1939

D'Archambeau, Iwan

Released in 1978

Mainardi, Enrico

Recorded in 1950-55

Schmidt, Annlies

(rec in 1957 - 1958)

Honneger, Henri

1959

Janigro, Antonio

1960

Cassado, Gaspar

1960

Clement, Jean-Marx

1960

Levy, Andre

1960

Wenzinger, August

1960

1961- 1972

Fournier, Pierre

1961
(Rec in Hanover, Beethovensaal, 12/1960)

Burger, Paul

1963

Tortelier, Paul

1963

Harnoncourt, Nikolaus

1965

Startker, Janos

1965

Nyffenegger, Esther

1971

Flachot, Reine

1972

Looser, Rolf

between 1970 & 1979

1973 - 1980

Jerbic, Marjan

1974

Rostropovich, Mstislav

1975

Shafran, Daniil

76

Navarra, Andre

1978
Recorded in 1977 at Temple de l'Assomption, Paris.

Milos Sadlo

1978

Gendron, Maurice

1979

Fontanarosa, Renaud

1978

Bylsma, Anner

1979

Grümmer, Peter

?

Pedrazzi, Eva

1973

1980-83

Starker, J

1980

Perenyi, Miklos

1981

Ma, Yo-Yo

1981

Zlotkin, Frederick

1981

Rostropovitch, Mstislav

1983

1984

Bengtsson, Erling

1984

Berger, Julius

1984

Starker, Janos

1984

Vasolieva, Alla

1984

Vectomov, Sasa

1984

1985

Baumann, Jorg

1985

Fujiwara, Mari

1985

Harrell, Lynn

1985

Maisky, Mischa

1985

Schiff, Heinrich

1985

1986-1991

Boettcher, Wolfgang

1989

Wispelwey, Pieter

1990

Rautio, Erkki

1991

Magnan, Eliane

1989

1992-93

Demenga, Patrick

1992

Markevitch, Dimitry

1992

Turovsky, Yuri

1992

Mantel, Gerhard

1992

Onczay, Csaba

1993

Zeuthen, Morten

1993

1994-95

Meunier, Alain

1992-4

Filippini, Rocco

1994

Henkel, Christoph

1994

Kirshbaum, Ralph

1994

Rosen, Nathaniel

1994

Brunello, Mario

1995

Rostropovich, Mistislav

1995

1996-97

Schiefen, Guido

1996

Suzuki, Hidemi

1996 - 2004 (re-issued)
Baroque cello

Linden, Jaap ter

1997

Ma, Yo-Yo

1997

1998-99

Beschi, Paolo

1998

Domb, Daniel

1998

Pergamenschikov, Boris

1998

Wispelwey, Pieter

1998
baroque

Maisky, Mischa

1999

Rattay, Evzen

1999

Sheppard, Susan

1999
Baroque

Thedéen, Torleif

1999

2000

Bartá, Jiri

2000

Burkhardt, Martin

2000
(baroque)

Cohen, Robert

2000

Haimovitz, Matt - 2000

2000

Hanani, Yehuda

2000

Helmerson, Frans

2000

Muller-Schott, Daniel

2000

Rudin, Alexander

2000

2001-02

Cocset, Bruno

2001
(baroque)

Gaillard, Ophélie

2001

Markson, Richard

2002

Bernaert, Jacques

2002

Demarquette, Henri

2002

Jones, Michael Kevin

2002

Zeuthen, Morten

2002

2003-04

Bruns, Peter

2003

Coppey, Marc

2003

Brunello, Mario

2004

Istomin, Sergei

2004

Kniazev, Alexander

2004

2005

Hugh, Tim

2005

Kliegel Maria

2005

Mork, Truls

2005

Spanoghe, Vivianne

2005

Wang, Jian

2005

2006

Deletaille, Nicolas

2006

Jaap ter Linden

2006

Sant'ambrogio, Sara

2006

Yang, Wen-Sinn

2006

Velitchka, Yotcheva

2006

2007

Gastinel, Anne

2007

Isserlis, Steven

2007

Kenedy, David

2007

Lipkind, Gavriel

2007

Meneses, Antonio

2007

Queyras, Jean-Guihen

2007

Ostertag, Martin

2007

2008-09

Jordan, Myles

2008
(baroque)

Neikrug, George

(released in 2008)

Pincombe, Steuart

2008
(baroque)

Diaz, Andres

2009

East, Angela

2009
(baroque)

Klinger, Sebastian

2009

Kuijken, Sigiswald

2009
(Viola da Spalla)

Yoran, Victor 2009

2009

Hahn, Klaus-Peter

2009

2010

Badiarov, Dmitry

2010
(viola da spalla)

Bailey, Zuill

2010

Dieltiens, Roel

2010

Fontana, Matthieu

2010
(baroque)

Georgian, Karine

2010

Matzke, Werner

2010

Metzger, Jorg

2010

Piovano, Luigi

2010

Rehfeldt, Matt

2010

Van Lier Josephine

2010
(baroque)

Zelenka, Winona

2010

2011

Bauer, Andrzej

2011

Gaillard, Ophélie

2011
(baroque)

Goldschlager, Michael

2011

Haines Eitzen, John

2011

Jogler, Jan

2011

Marinescu, Ovidiu

2011

Rummel, Martin

2011

Tompkins, Tanya

2011
(baroque)

Viersen, Quirine

2011

Wu, Hekun

2011

2012-13

Carr, Colin

2012

Costanza, Christopher

2012

Tunnicliffe. Richard

2012

Wispelwey, Pieter

2012

Butt, William

2013

Constanza, Mary

2013

La Marca

2013

Miranda, Carmine

2013

Vogler, Jan

2013

2014

Arnau, Tomàs, 2014

2014

Cahn-Lipman, Kivie

2014

De Hoog, Viola

2014

Harlé, David

2014

Geringas, David

Enders, Isang

2014

Kotova Nina

2014

Mercer, Rachel

2014

Pang, Clark 2014

2014

Schmidt, Niklas

2014

Rohmann, Ditta

2014

2015

Debrus, Alexandre

2011-2015

Eijlander, Joachim

2015

Fujiwara, Mari

2015

Haimovitz, Matt

2015

Higham, Philip

2015

Kuijken, Wieland

2015

Lesser, Laurence

2015

Rademakers, Mayke

2015

Signorini, Luca 2015

2015

Segev, Inbal

2015

Watkin, David

2015
(baroque)

2016

Beckmann, Mathias

2016

Gylfadottir, Bryndis Halla

2016

Svedberg, Staffan

2016

Zagorinsky, Alexander

2016

2017

Demanga, Thomas

2017

Franzetti, Luca

2017
(baroque)

Jankovic, Xenia

2017

Luckert, Leonardo

2017
(baroque)

Narroway, Richard

2017

Shao, Sophie

2017

Skoraczewski, Dariusz

2017

Stradner, Christoph

2017

Yang, Sung-Won

2017

2018

Bárta, Jiří

2018

Ma, Yo-Yo

2018

Dumas, Marianne

2018
(baroque)

Moldrup, Toke

2018

Khoma, Natalia

2018

Webber, Sophie

2018

Viersen, Quirine

(2018)

Tommaso, Oreste De

2018

2019

Gerhardt, Alban

2019

Swart, Lucia

2019
baroque

Martinelli, Massimiliano

2019

Bertrand, Emmanuelle

2019
baroque

Ylönen, Marko

2019

Valli, Mauro

2019 baroque

Weber, Maja

2019

Dwyer, Paul

baroque

Teichmanis, Juris

2020

2020

Weilerstein, Alisa

2020

Max, Robert

2020

Galligioni. Francesco

2020

2021

Kloeckner, Benedict

2021

Tsang, Bion

2021

 submit a recording

Please, be so kind to send all the following informations: the cover of the album, name and first name of the performer, and the date of the recording to your message. Thank you.

Note: Only Cellists who recorded all 6 Suites are listed in this page.

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baroque cello 

DUMAS, BYLSMA, GAILLARD, WATKIN, WISPELWEY


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Berlin 1752 - 2018.

Playing the bass on the Up bow...

Marianne Dumas - Bach Cello Suites
Baroque Cello
More...

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"Some move the bow as it is customary on the viola da gamba, that is,  instead of a down-stroke from left to right for the principal notes, they make an up-stroke from right to left, beginning from the tip of the bow."
J. J. Quantz about cellists, Berlin, 1752. 

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