Pradel Association - Bach Suites II - 09/28/25

Johann Sebastian Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011 

Johann Sebastian Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012 

David Louwerse: Cello 

On the second day of fearless cellist David Louwerse’s absolutely magnificent journey through Bach’s six treacherous suites for solo cello hosted by Pradel Association, the sun was not as bright and the audience was not as large as on the first day, but the mood was just about as festive in Comps’ little hilltop église de Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul. And why wouldn’t it be? 

Witnessing the continuation of such an extraordinary adventure, during which we all got to share unadulterated happiness, intense drama and profound contemplation, moments of deep spirituality and outbursts of dazzling virtuosity, felt like such a privilege that my mom and I and other hand-core music lovers would not have missed it for anything in the world, especially since the last two suites are widely considered the most exciting ones of the entire set. 

Ever the consummate professional, Louwerse played all suites sans sheet music, except for the starkly beautiful Cello Suite No. 5, which is an awfully tricky work not just because of its particularly dark, slightly ominous overtones, but also because it had been written for a differently tuned instrument. The fingering requiring constant acrobatics, the paper score acted as a wise safety measure for the player and, by extension, for us too. 

 Since I listen to a lot of music with my eyes closed, I cannot tell if Louwerse used the sheet music or not, but I can confirm that the performance was as confident and rewarding as the others. The exquisite Sarabande, which Yo-Yo Ma famously played at the site of the World Trade Center on the first anniversary of remembrance of the victims of the September 11 attacks, was particularly moving in its stripped-down form. 

And then came the Cello Suite No. 6, which kind of brought the whole set full circle with its unabashedly sunny disposition that was reminiscent of the Cello Suite No. 1. It presented a new challenge though: The score had been written for a small five-string instrument when Louwerse plays a standard four-string one. But since the word “impossible” does not seem to belong to his vocabulary, he readily got on with it, but not before charitably warning us that he occasionally might sound more like Boulez than Bach. 

And in fact, the wildly ambitious Cello Suite No. 6, which resolutely filled the gorgeous space with endless boldness, radiance and vivaciousness, was a terrific way to end the memorable program and weekend. After the countless ups and downs and twists and turns of the previous five suites, this grand finale reached pure bliss and kept on flying high. And so did we. 

The concert having been shorter, but certainly not less thrilling, than the one of the previous day, and the smaller audience being just as enthusiastic, Louwerse treated us to a bonus performance of a lovely sonata by 18th-century French composer and cellist Jean-Pierre Duport, which concluded this blazing journey on a welcome introspective note. 

Last, but not least, to celebrate our reaching the finish line, we were all offered a seemingly bottomless supply of delicious home-made rosemary tea during the little outdoor post-concert get-together, bringing a wonderful end to a wonderful weekend.