Bach Cello Suites

(Events 9, 10, 11(a) and 11(b): Sat 10 Oct 2026 3.15pm, 5.00pm, 7.30pm, 8.45pm Little Missenden Church)

Programme Notes will be available for download here and free at concert

It’s thought that Bach’s six Cello Suites were written when he was employed at the court in Köthen in the 1720s, around the same time as the Brandenberg Concertos and the Violin Sonatas and Partitas. But there’s no single definitive manuscript of the Suites and one theory to account for the discrepancies in the very few manuscript scores that are extant is that Bach continued to work on them, and that there may never in fact have been a ‘final’ version. There are therefore uncertainties about dates but also – more importantly – about interpretation. Other questions include the player for whom he might have written them (perhaps himself – although there’s only limited evidence he played cello – or for another at the Köthen court) and even the actual instrument he wrote for. But perhaps the most striking thing of all is that they were largely forgotten and unplayed until about a century after Bach’s death, when the first published edition emerged. And they only really entered the public domain with Casals’ 1930s recordings (see video below), by which time detailed knowledge of early 18th-century performance practice in Germany (and indeed elsewhere) had largely dissipated. So assumptions made today about this music have to remain just that – assumptions – and presenting the Suites in three versions therefore seemed to us a useful way of relating to the strange history of these timeless masterpieces – not timeless in an abstract sense but rather that they’ve carried a number of both practical and historical possibilities with them ever since they entered the repertoire.

For those buying tickets for all three events 9, 11(a) and 11(b), discounted bundle prices of £55, £39 and £19 will apply. The Red Lion is also offering a 2-course meal for audience members for £17.50 at 6pm. Please book directly with the pub (01494 862876) and say that you are Festival-goers.

1. The Baroque Cello

Event 9: Saturday 10th October, 3:15pm 

Johann Sebastian Bach Suite no4 in E flat major; BWV1010 Suite no5 in C minor BWV1011; Suite no6 in D major BWV1012

Alex Rolton baroque cello

Alex Rolton has been with the Philharmonia Orchestra since 2018 and plays an 18th-century English cello. He’ll be switching to a piccolo cello (played on the lap or round the chest) for the D major Suite, which is scored for five strings rather than the normal four. You can see Alex multi-tracking his own arrangement for nine cellos of Bach's Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme here. 

2. Playing the cello through the centuries

Event 10: Saturday 10th October, 5:00-5:45pm 
This event is free

A conversation among the four cellists playing for us this afternoon and evening on how stylistic practice has evolved from Bach’s time to our own. The session will be chaired by Ed McKeon and will be open to questions from the audience.

 3. Through Silence to Sound*

Event 11(a): Saturday 10th October, 7:30pm 
*one ticket covers entry to both Events 11(a) and 11(b)

Johann Sebastian Bach Suite no2 in D minor BWV1008

Cheryl Frances-Hoad Solo Suite for Cello

Kate Kennedy, Cara Berridge cello

Through Silence to Sound weaves together words by author and broadcaster Kate Kennedy, Bach’s Second Cello Suite, and specially composed music by Cheryl Frances-Hoad. Based on Kate’s internationally acclaimed book Cello – A Journey Through Silence to Sound (2024), the performance is a love song to the cello. It celebrates and investigates a player’s intense and personal relationship to their instrument in ways which are moving, whimsical and beautiful, as it tells us four stories from the book. See Cara play movements from Suite No2 below.

4. The Nordic Cello*

Event 11b: Saturday 10th October, 8:45pm 
*one ticket covers entry to both Events 11(a) and 11(b)

Johann Sebastian Bach Suite no1 in G major BWV1007 Suite no3 in C major BWV1009

Tanja Orning Hardanger cello

Tanja Orning is one of Norway’s leading contemporary cellists, teaching cello and performance at the Norwegian Academy of Music. She’ll perform Bach’s First and Third Suites on a rare Hardanger cello, only invented as such recently but closely related to the Hardanger fiddle that was first heard around Bach’s own time. Tanja’s cello adds five lower strings that pick up the sympathetic resonance of the four bowed strings – just as Bach’s music resonates sympathetically in our own time. See and hear a beautiful Hardanger cello played by Irene Han here.

Online booking is managed by TicketSource. This event may be booked from the Tickets link on this page but, when booking for multiple events, it may be more convenient to use our Little Missenden Festival page on TicketSource.