Yo-Yo Ma Presents Bach As A Wise And Spellbinding Storyteller In 'Six Evolutions'

Copyright 2018 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air . TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. For most cellists, the holy grail of the cello repertoire is the set of six suites Bach composed for solo cello. The most beloved cellist of our time, Yo-Yo Ma, has just released his third recording of these pieces as he begins a 36-city world tour of marathon concerts in which he plays all six suites. Our classical music critic, Lloyd Schwartz, says that while each of Yo-Yo Ma's Bach recordings is worthy, Lloyd's favorite version may very well be this latest. Here's Lloyd's review. (SOUNDBITE OF YO-YO MA PERFORMANCE OF BACH'S "UNACCOMPANIED CELLO SUITE NO. 3 IN C MAJOR") LLOYD SCHWARTZ, BYLINE: Bach composed his six suites for solo cello during his early 30s, a fertile period that also produced his Brandenburg Concertos, his orchestral suites and the six sonatas and partitas for solo violin. It was a long time before the suites caught on as concert pieces. Perhaps the greatest cellist who