Atsushi Sakaï - J.S.Bach (2025) [Hi-Res]

Jun Sakai (Cello, Bass Viol)
Cello: 19th-century Germany, maker unknown
Cello Piccolo: 18th-century France, maker unknown
Bass Viol: 17th-century England, maker unknown
Recording: May 30th - June 4th, 2023, Saint Samson Church, La Roche-Guyon, France

Jun Sakai, a virtuoso cellist and viola da gamba player residing in France, takes on Bach's unaccompanied masterpiece. Considered a specialist in French viol music, his performance is quiet yet deeply emotional, with powerful yet flowing melodies. His unique style shines through even in this piece, which skillfully blends French, Italian, and German tastes to represent the culmination of cello art. It seems that this recording was approached with extraordinary enthusiasm by the performer, and the performance is said to reflect his entire life experience. Listening to the six pieces in order from the first, one is struck by their vast breadth. As a bonus, it includes unaccompanied works by Carl Friedrich Abel, the son of Christian Ferdinand Abel, to whom Bach dedicated this work. The liner notes were written by Mr. Sakai himself.