6 Cello Suites
There are many ways of playing Bach--the austere and the mathematical or the deliberately simple have dominated in recent years--in an attempt to recapture the style of the unknown soloist for whom he wrote these peculiarly beautiful works. Mischa Maisky's second recording, based on years of study of the scores, opts for a more passionate, almost Romantic approach--this is a Bach all about expression and dance, and the gestures here are big gestures. Maisky's commitment to his reading is absolute and carries real conviction--he plays the suites as the work of a musician of incomparable gifts, not a machine or a demigod. Even those who prefer a more intellectualized Bach will have to accept his earthy approach as a possible reading. Maisky's edition of the suites is included on a CD-ROM along with articles on artist, composer, and works and a  facility that allows the listener to follow the scores as they are played, or even to play along with them.--Roz Kaveney