Gabriel Martins
Cellist
Bach I
​
In Bach I, I have embarked on a journey of recording the cello repertoire, searching diligently for the most ideal interpretation of each piece. The Bach Suites are the greatest cello music we have, and also represent the origin of great solo cello music. There was no better place to start than the First Suite in G Major. The album is entirely self-produced.
​
1. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 - Prelude
2. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 - Allemande
3. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 - Courante
4. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 - Sarabande
5. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 - Menuet I & II
6. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 - Gigue
​
Released Nov. 2023
Bach II
​
In the second installment of my Bach Cello Suites recordings, we explore the D Minor Suite, BWV 1008. This recording is one very different than the first in G Major, entering a much darker emotional landscape. From the opening Prelude, the solitude of the singular cello line is at its most poignant: a voice, alone in the world, finds its peace. Like the first one, it is entirely self-produced.
​
1. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008 - Prelude
2. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008 - Allemande
3. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008 - Courante
4. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008 - Sarabande
5. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008 - Menuet I & II
6. Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008 - Gigue
​
Released Mar. 1, 2024
Bach III
​
The Third Suite in C Major embodies the purity of its key, with no sharps or flats. In the opening measures of the Prelude, the low open C of the cello provides a foundation for a story of virtue.
​
1. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009 - Prelude
2. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009- Allemande
3. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009 - Courante
4. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009 - Sarabande
5. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009 - Bourrée I & II
6. Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009 - Gigue
​
Released Apr. 19, 2024
Bach IV
​
The Fourth Suite in E-flat Major is perhaps the least known to general audiences, but the most beloved to serious fanatics. The increasing complexity of each Suite begins to be made clear here, with the most obscure key of all of them. Rather than centering around the open G, D, and C strings of the previous Suites, JSB instead selects a rich key that requires much more from the cellist's technique. When mastered, it produces a unique timbre: one that gives us a deep feeling of the concrete earth below us, and the infinite sky above.
​
1. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010 - Prelude
2. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010 - Allemande
3. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010 - Courante
4. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010 - Sarabande
5. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010 - Bourrée I & II
6. Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010 - Gigue
​
Released Jun. 14, 2024
Bach V
​
In the Fifth Suite we explore the darkest and most complex music yet. The Prelude of this Suite includes the only fugal section in all of the Cello Suites. Bach also indicated a scordatura tuning for this Suite, lowering the bright A string to a much darker G. Given the sonority and gravitas, some have likened this C minor suite to a representation of the death of Christ.
​
1. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011 - Prelude
2. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011 - Allemande
3. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011 - Courante
4. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011 - Sarabande
5. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011 - Gavotte I & II
6. Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011 - Gigue
​
Released Aug. 2, 2024
Bach VI
​
The final installment of the Bach Cello Suite Cycle. The Sixth Cello Suite was originally composed for the Violoncello Piccolo which has an added upper E-string. This brings a unique register to this Suite, giving it a specific angelic quality and an uplifting character. I have always believed that these Suites are sacred music, not in the literal sense as with his Cantatas and Passions, but in their spirit.
​
1. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012 - Prelude
2. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012 - Allemande
3. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012 - Courante
4. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012 - Sarabande
5. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012 - Gavotte I & II
6. Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012 - Gigue
​
Released Sep. 27, 2024