Bach: Cello Suites Anastasia Kobekina

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007:
• 1 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude 02:58
• 2 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: II. Allemande 04:54
• 3 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: III. Courante 02:48
• 4 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande 02:56
• 5 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: V. Menuets I & II 03:16
• 6 Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: VI. Gigue 01:49
• Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008:
• 7 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: I. Prélude 04:29
• 8 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: II. Allemande 03:29
• 9 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: III. Courante 02:03
• 10 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: IV. Sarabande 04:20
• 11 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: V. Menuets I & II 02:50
• 12 Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: VI. Gigue 02:51
• Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009:
• 13 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: I. Prélude 04:12
• 14 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: II. Allemande 04:16
• 15 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: III. Courante 03:11
• 16 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: IV. Sarabande 04:17
• 17 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: V. Bourrées I & II 03:33
• 18 Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: VI. Gigue 03:26
• Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010:
• 19 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: I. Prélude 03:50
• 20 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: II. Allemande 04:26
• 21 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: III. Courante 03:54
• 22 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: IV. Sarabande 04:11
• 23 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: V. Bourrées I & II 04:59
• 24 Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: VI. Gigue 02:46
• Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011:
• 25 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: I. Prélude 06:20
• 26 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: II. Allemande 05:58
• 27 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: III. Courante 02:21
• 28 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: IV. Sarabande 04:09
• 29 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: V. Gavottes I & II 05:37
• 30 Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: VI. Gigue 02:41
• Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012:
• 31 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: I. Prélude 04:58
• 32 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: II. Allemande 08:14
• 33 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: III. Courante 04:03
• 34 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: IV. Sarabande 05:31
• 35 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: V. Gavottes I & II 04:14
• 36 Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: VI. Gigue 04:38
• Total Runtime 02:24:28

Info for Bach: Cello Suites

“There might not yet be as many recordings of Bach’s cello suites as there are stars in the sky, but there are certainly as many ways of interpreting this monumental music, both in performance and philosophically.“

An extraordinary two years for Anastasia Kobekina reaches a new high this September, with the upcoming release of her recording of Bach’s iconic Cello Suites on Sony Classical.

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, Kobekina promises a fresh view of familiar music. She performs on period instruments, bringing a historically informed perspective to these iconic works.

Bach’s Cello Suites represent the music that has accompanied Kobekina the longest and which has performed most frequently. "The dialectic nature of Bach’s suites — their internal dialogue and contradictions — has always fascinated me," says Kobekina. "The language is abstract, architectural, rational, logical, and at the same time passionate, emotional, and deeply personal to the performer."

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.

Kobekina studied baroque cello with Kristin von der Goltz in Frankfurt. Her singular intelligence is brought to bear on Bach’s suites, which increasingly straddle the realms of classical art and popular culture. Courtesy of her "almost overwhelming sincerity" (The Strad) and her formidable musicianship, Kobekina’s playing reaches beyond technique into the realms of direct communication. "At times," wrote Gramophone of her album Venice, "you forget you are listening to a cello at all."

Kobekina is a former BBC New Generation Artist and Borletti-Butoni Trust Artist, and signed to Sony Classical in 2024. In February 2025, the German television channel ARD broadcast a four-part documentary about her, Anastasia Kobekina: Now or Never. She returns to the BBC Proms in London this summer, having debuted in 2024, when she also made her first appearance with the Czech Philharmonic under its Music Director, Jakub Hrůša. In the summer of 2025, Kobekina will be artist-in-residence at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Beethovenfest Bonn.

"She is the embodiment of grace." - Le Monde

"Kobekina plays with gorgeous elegance and effortlessly wide lines" - Der Tagesspiegel

Anastasia Kobekina, cello

Anastasia Kobekina
Hailed as an "unrivaled musician" by Le Figaro, Anastasia Kobekina captivates audiences with her stunning musicality, versatile performances, and dynamic presence. She is the proud recipient of the 2024 Leonard Bernstein Award. In May 2023, Anastasia signed an exclusive recording contract with Sony Classical, and her debut album, “Venice”, was released in February 2024.

In October 2024, Anastasia was awarded the prestigious Opus Klassik Award in Germany. In February 2025, the German television channel ARD launched a four-part documentary series about Anastasia: “Anastasia Kobekina – Jetzt oder nie” ("Now or Never").

Anastasia made her BBC Proms debut with the Czech Philharmonic and Jakub Hrůša in 2024, performing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto. She will return to the BBC Proms in the summer of 2025 with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. She was also the focus artist of the Rheingau Music Festival in 2024 and will be the artist-in-residence at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Beethovenfest Bonn in the summer of 2025.

Highlights of the upcoming season include concerts with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich under Semyon Bychkov, DSO Berlin, RAI Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, as well as chamber orchestras from Basel, Munich, and Stuttgart.

Anastasia's performances span prestigious venues and festivals worldwide, including Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Lincoln Center, Konzerthaus Vienna, Berlin Philharmonie, Tonhalle Zürich, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Rheingau Music Festival, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the Verbier Festival.

As a soloist, Anastasia has worked under the baton of renowned conductors such as Semyon Bychkov, Paavo Järvi, Jakub Hrůša, Krzysztof Penderecki, Heinrich Schiff, Omer Meir Wellber, Vasily Petrenko, Charles Dutoit, and Jean-Christophe Spinosi.

Anastasia has earned acclaim at international competitions, including the Tchaikovsky Competition (St. Petersburg, 2019) and the Enescu Competition (Bucharest, 2016). She was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2018 to 2021 and received the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Artists Award in 2022.

Born in Russia, Anastasia began her cello studies at the age of four. She studied with Frans Helmerson and Prof. Jens-Peter Maintz in Germany before continuing her studies in Paris with Jérôme Pernoo. Additionally, she completed her graduate studies in Baroque Violoncello with Kristin von der Goltz in Frankfurt. Anastasia performs on a violoncello by Antonio Stradivari from 1698, generously loaned by the Stradivari Stiftung Habisreutinger.

Booklet for Bach: Cello Suites