Anastasia Kobekina. Bach: Cello Suites (2 CD)

Anastasia Kobekina’s career has been gathering momentum since her receipt in 2024 of both the Leonard Bernstein Award and an Opus Klassik Award and the release of the full-length documentary ‘Jetzt oder nie!’ through ARD. Taking on Bach’s set of six suites for solo cello – an Everest for cellists – she aims to open up ‘a shared space for interpretation, mine and yours.’ As with her previous album for Sony Classical, the hugely acclaimed Venice, Anastasia Kobekina promises a fresh view of familiar music. She performs on period instruments, bringing a historically informed perspective to these iconic works. The works themselves represent the baroque composer’s most inwardly concentrated and revered music. Each consists of a prelude and a suite of dance movements. Adding to the work’s iconic status is the mystery behind its creation. No autograph score exists – only a copy, in the hand of Anna Magdalena Bach, the composer’s second wife – while the work’s original recipient remains unknown.