J.S. Bach: The Cello Suites, Vol. 1 Pavlos Carvalho

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007:
• 1Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude02:44
• 2Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: II. Allemande06:18
• 3Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: III. Courante02:49
• 4Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande04:02
• 5Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: V. Menuetts I & II03:42
• 6Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: VI. Gigue01:58
• Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008:
• 7Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: I. Prélude04:23
• 8Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: II. Allemande04:29
• 9Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: III. Courante01:59
• 10Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: IV. Sarabande05:28
• 11Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: V. Menuetts I & II03:20
• 12Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: VI. Gigue02:38
• Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009:
• 13Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: I. Prélude04:02
• 14Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: II. Allemande04:37
• 15Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: III. Courante03:07
• 16Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: IV. Sarabande05:14
• 17Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: V. Bourrées I & II04:09
• 18Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: VI. Gigue03:01
• Total Runtime01:08:00

Info for J.S. Bach: The Cello Suites, Vol. 1

There has not been a more important or influential body of cello music written before or since the 6 Bach Cello Suites. Now treated almost reverentially by cellists, for two hundred years they were virtually unknown until a young Catalan cellist, Pablo Casals, discovered them in a little shop and breathed life back into these masterpieces. For some the music is deeply spiritual, for others the pieces are closely connected with nature… or perhaps it is the ingenuity of their structure and symmetry that inspires people to be moved by the Cello Suites. Whatever the reasons, people always come back to Bach. Through, seemingly the most simple means, Bach speaks to the soul and the intellect at once. Like the best fairy tales or myths, his music is layered and can be enjoyed and understood at different levels at different times of our lives. He is everywhere and a deeply rooted part of our lives, from performances in the greatest concert halls to contemporary films, used as music of political statement, as exciting imaginative music to be explored by the greatest jazz musicians, for mothers to soothe their babies, for people to celebrate weddings or deep consolation at funerals. The profound imagination behind the cathartic simplicity of Bach’s Cello Suites makes his music a companion for life for the listener and a mystery to be constantly re-examined and explored by the performer.

Pavlos Carvalho, cello

Pavlos Carvalho
started his musical studies with his father Santiago and then Stephen Popov. After gaining a BA in Ancient History he went to the Royal College of Music (RCM) to study cello with Steven Doane and later, Jerome Pernoo. There, supported by a scholarship from the RCM and the Countess of Munster Trust, he graduated with distinction in solo and chamber music performance.

As a bouzouki player Pavlos performs regularly with groups such as the London Greek Collective and Plastikes Karekles. He arranges and orchestrates Greek traditional music for both folk and classical instruments. Pavlos has performed in festivals such as Venice, Majorca, Padova, and the Cardiff Proms, in Britain and abroad. He also runs a monthly Greek music series, Rebet Asker, at the Green Note, London, which charts the history of Greek Rebetiko music from its roots in Smyrna and Constantinople to the present day.

Pavlos Mélas was born and raised in a musical family in Athens Greece. He studied classical guitar from a young age and took on popular music as a teenager. He published his first album with the band 'Atiko Minus' in Athens in 1999.

He came to London the same year to pursue an MA in Arts Management; he also completed a teaching diploma in Byzantine music. He has since led his own bands and collaborated with well known artists in the UK and Europe . Through a number of concerts and media features, Pavlos has been promoting and raising awareness of Greek traditional music in the UK and internationally.

Booklet for J.S. Bach: The Cello Suites, Vol. 1