Bach Cello Suites (DXL 1207) Digital Booklet

Jonathan Freeman-Attwood has been re-imagining repertoire for his instrument for three decades in a significant catalogue of music from Monteverdi to Richard Strauss. This recording of his adaptation of Bach’s Six Cello Suites for trumpet is the result of an imminent publication by Faber Music as part of the prestigious Edition Peters Series. Freeman-Attwood has gone back to the five original sources, from Anna Magdalena Bach to the first printed edition in 1824: these historical texts underpin his own editorial decisions, turning these iconic pieces into idiomatic and enjoyable experiences on the trumpet. Judicious strategies dealing with chords, registers, keys and breathing points haveresulted in a recording where the strange beauty of these pieces offers new perspectives and possibilities.

Serving as Principal of the Royal Academy of Music from 2008, Jonathan Freeman-Attwood has continued over several decades to pursue his musical interests as a trumpet player, recording producer, broadcaster and academic. He has recorded fourteen solo trumpet albums and published almost all the arrangements in print, either for Resonata Press, Boosey & Hawkes or Faber Music. This includes the co-composition of acelebrated Sonata for Trumpet and Piano ‘after Richard Strauss’ which has, since 2020, quickly become a staple of international recitals and major competitions. Freeman-Attwood is committed to musical education, leading a number of international schemes to expand the possibilities and horizons for young British musicians, most recently through the Sir Elton John Global Exchange Scheme and a pioneering relationship between the Academy and the Czech Philharmonic. 

‘Jonathan Freeman-Attwood’s aim in presenting these transcriptions is to open up the miraculous world of Bach’s Cello Suites to trumpet players. He has done so with passion, thorough scholarship and rich imagination. It’s a gift to his instrument and all who play it’ 

– Steven Isserlis CBE

‘What an incredible project, fabulously intelligent and well-realised. A new bible for trumpet players!’

– Alison Balsom OBE

Praise for previous projects:

‘In a nutshell, brave, bonkers and brilliantly executed’

– Gramophone

‘For sheer originality, this has to take some kind of prize’

– Observer

Catalogue No: DXL1207

Title: Bach Cello Suites

Artists: Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, trumpet

Barcode: 0666283120721

Playing Time: CD1 48:45, CD2 49:17

UK Release: 23rd May 2025

UK Distribution: RSK, Tel: 01488 608900

Packaging: Double Digipak; Box 19

Track List:

CD 1

1-6

Cello Suite No. 5, BWV 1011

7-12

Cello Suite No. 3, BWV 1009

13-18

Cello Suite No. 4, BWV 1010

CD 2

1-6

Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007

7-12

Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008

13-18

Cello Suite No. 6, BWV 1012