Bach, Casals & The Six Suites for 'Cello Solo: Volume Four

The four volumes of Bach, Casals and the Six Suites for Cello Solo is the telling of a preeminent, but almost unknown, legend of Western culture…. the Life of Sebastian Bach, his Legacy, the Life of Pablo Casals - the heroic cellist who rescued the Six Cello Suites from oblivion - and the saga and rediscovery of Bach’s magnificent masterpiece… the companion to Steven Hancoff’s remarkable and ground-breaking three-CD acoustic guitar recording of Bach’s immortal work.


Volume 4: From Tragedy to Transcendence consists almost entirely of nine animated videos, and seeks to articulate the mystery of the greatness of Bach: he did not let personal tragedy define his life, nor turn him to negativity. Rather, the miracle of Bach is in his ability to unify the expression of breathtaking beauty, primal emotion, vast power and intellectual rigor, and to do so on a giant canvas. 


Volume 4 unifies music, narration and more than 300 pieces of contemporary art in gorgeous video to tell the story of J. S. Bach who, like some bodhisattva, was born to translate and transmit the Sound of Heaven to us all. Or, as the great Casals most elegantly put it, Music is the Divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.


Immersing myself in the genius of Bach has enriched my life beyond what I can possibly articulate here. I am so excited that this life project of mine is now making its way into the wide world. I can only hope that listeners and readers and musicians alike will also feel enriched for having partaken of it.  – Steven