Yo-Yo Ma | Johann Sebastian Bach

The Bach Project

Yo-Yo Ma
Johann Sebastian Bach

Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello 

''We live in a world of boundless possibility, but we also face daunting challenges, even to our very survival. I believe that during times of stress, confusion, and insecurity, we should share sources that offer comfort, purpose, and meaning. Bach does that. When his music touches us, it reconnects us to our common humanity." - Yo-Yo Ma, January 2018

Legendary musician and humanitarian Yo-Yo Ma makes his long-awaited Australian and New Zealand debuts in 2019.  Mr Ma will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello in one sitting without interval, as part of The Bach Project.

Over the next two years, Mr Ma will play all six suites across six continents, in familiar and unlikely locations. Accompanying each performance will be events that seek to put culture in action by bringing people and organizations together to address pressing social issues. These concerts and days of action, will not only offer an essential encapsulation of what this music means now, but will invite us all to think differently about the role of culture in society.  #CultureConnectsUs

It is a journey motivated not only by Yo-Yo Ma’s six-decade relationship with the music, but also by Bach’s ability to speak to our common humanity at a time when our civic conversation is so often focussed on division.

Yo-Yo Ma’s multi-faceted career is testament to his enduring belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. Whether performing new or familiar works from the cello repertoire, collaborating with communities and institutions to explore culture’s social impact, or engaging unexpected musical forms, Mr. Ma strives to foster connections that stimulate the imagination and reinforce our humanity.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello

Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007
Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009
Suite No. 4 in E flat major, BWV 1010
Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011
Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012

Yo-Yo Ma, cello