Bach by Candlelight – The Cello Suites

A candlelit concert at St Mary Le Strand Church in London, in which a solo cellist performs selections from Johann Sebastian Bach's Suites for Solo Cello, without orchestra or accompaniment.

The concert presents a programme of selections from Johann Sebastian Bach's Suites for Solo Cello, the works the German composer wrote for unaccompanied cello. A single cellist performs the music alone, so each line of the instrument is heard without any other players or backing.

The programme includes the First Suite, whose opening is widely familiar. Across the selected dances, the music moves between brighter, lively movements and slower, more contemplative passages, all played in the same unaccompanied style that defines the suites.

The performance takes place at St Mary Le Strand Church on the Strand. Alongside its role as a place of worship, the church mainly hosts concerts, and candlelight performances are a regular part of its programme. The evening suits listeners who want to hear Bach's cello writing in a candlelit church setting.