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
Cassadó
In a brief repose before continuing on with the Bach recordings of the Violin Sonatas and Partitas, we visit a cherished work of the 20th-century solo cello repertoire. Gaspar Cassadó was a prominent Spanish cellist and composer. His Solo Suite is by far his most played work, and has now been accepted as a standard work in the cello repertoire. Being written by a cellist, it uses the instrument in a natural way, allowing for the performer to freely explore many aspects of color, sound, dance, and soul.
1. Suite for Solo Cello: I. Preludio-Fantasia
2. Suite for Solo Cello: II. Sardana
3. Suite for Solo Cello: III. Intermezzo e Danza Finale
Released Nov. 15, 2024
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Bach: Violin Sonatas & Partitas (Arr. for Cello)
I have been experimenting with playing the Bach violin works on the cello since the pandemic of 2020. It started with wanting to play the Chaconne, as I think many cellists have a desire to. I then began learning the other movements as a sort of exercise to deepen my understanding of the Cello Suites. As time went on, I eventually notated all of the Sonatas and Partitas and published an edition of them. I am very pleased to now release a companion recording of these six great masterworks, following my release of the complete Cello Suites last year.
In adapting these works, I tried to stay as close as possible to Bach's original text. One dilemma was the question of key. While I considered doing them down an octave, in the original keys, I ultimately decided that down an octave plus a fifth was more natural. This way I was able to keep Bach's use of the open strings, and the positioning thus remains largely similar to that of the violin. Although I would never begin to suggest that these versions are in any way superior to the original, I do think that the lower sonority gives the ear time and depth to appreciate new parts about Bach's incredible writing.
Released Oct. 31, 2025