Sony Classical Releases Bion Tsang's Rendition of Bach's Cello Suites Featuring Rare 1713 "Bass of Spain" Strad

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Jul 06, 2021, 08:47 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, July 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new recording BION TSANG: BACH CELLO SUITES from Sony Classical combines the artistry of the remarkable cellist Bion Tsang with the exquisite sonority of a rarely heard Stradivari cello. Tsang's Bach Suites follow the success of his Dvorak/Enescu Cello Concertos with Scott Yoo and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (2019), also from Sony Classical. Tsang recorded the Six Suites for Violoncello Solo by Johann Sebastian Bach in Bastyr Chapel, Seattle, on the 1713 "Bass of Spain" Antonio Stradivari cello.

Bion Tsang Bach Cello Suites features internationally acclaimed cellist Bion Tsang and a rarely heard Stradivarius cello known as the Bass of Spain. Recorded in Bastyr Chapel, Seattle, Bion Tsang Bach Cello Suites is a must for every cello fan's collection.

Recorded in Seattle's in Bastyr Chapel, Bion Tsang : Bach Suites features a rarely heard 1713 "Bass of Spain" Antonio Stradivari cello.

"I am so very grateful to David Fulton for lending me his priceless cello to record the Bach Suites," Tsang says. "As every cellist knows, this set of Suites represents the pinnacle of our solo literature, and the Bass of Spain allowed me total freedom to express the widest possible range of emotions in these monumental works. It's incredible to think that Strad made this instrument in the same decade that Bach crafted these masterpieces."

The complete set of Six Suites for Violoncello Solo, composed by Bach between 1717 and 1723, weren't heard in public until the legendary Pablo Casals performed and recorded them two centuries later. The Cello Suites have since become an indispensable part of the cello literature, adapted for numerous other instruments and widely considered to be amongst the greatest and most influential works of Bach's considerable musical output.

Bion Tsang: Bach Cello Suites expands Tsang's esteemed discography, which includes three live concert recordings from Jordan Hall, Boston: the complete Beethoven Sonatas and Variations for Cello and Piano with Anton Nel (Artek); the Brahms Cello Sonatas and 4 Hungarian Dances with Anton Nel (Artek); and a recital of cello sonatas by Britten, Dohnanyi and Grieg with Adam Neiman (BHM). Tsang also released The Blue Rock Sessions (BHM), a collection of 18 virtuoso miniatures, a culmination of Tsang's lifelong fascination with the violin repertoire and the musicality and intimacy of miniature compositions.

Bion Tsang: Bach Cello Suites is distributed worldwide via Sony Classical and is available at Amazon Music, Apple Music, IDAGIO and Spotify.