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The continued fascination of Bach for listeners and instrumentalists of all kinds is scarcely a surprise, and the constant attempts to get to the heart of his music show no sign of letting up anytime. Bach’s solo-instrument pieces, in particular, are endlessly challenging and pleasurable for performers and audiences alike, and the remarkably high quality of playing that they elicit from musicians fully justifies the frequency with which new recordings are released.

The latest recorded version of the cello suites, a two-CD release on the Divine Art label, is a case in point. Marina Tarasova is an absolutely first-rate cellist, sensitive to the dance forms underlying these remarkable compositions but equally aware of the extent to which Bach built upon and enlarged those forms rather than simply following them slavishly. It is clear from the very beginning – the opening Prelude of the first suite – that this will be a very personal interpretation: Tarasova plays this well-known movement quickly and with almost a “fiddling” quality, seeking to elicit a level of emotional connection that she looks for throughout all six of the suites. These are not historically informed performances, but ones that delve into the underlying emotive nature of the suites and use the capabilities of a modern instrument to bring them out. This means Tarasova sometimes downplays rhythmic precision – as in the minuets of the first suite – in favor of greater expressiveness. In some of the most forward-looking music of the suites, such as the Sarabande of the fifth suite, this approach works particularly well. In more-straightforward movements, such as the Gigue movements that conclude all the suites, it is less winning, although Tarasova deserves praise for the consistency with which she applies her concepts.

The sixth and longest suite, always a major challenge for a performer using a modern instrument because it was written for a five-string cello, is the high point of this release: everything in this suite is expanded (the Allemande is the longest movement in any of the suites), and Tarasova allows both the notes and their foundational heartfelt communication to flow with considerable beauty and an impressive level of technical precision. The contrast between the lively Courante and very emotional Sarabande in this suite is particularly well-handled. There is no “best” recording of these Bach solo-cello works, and there are so many good ones that it is hard to imagine music lovers settling for a single rendition. Tarasova’s approach, with its unapologetic willingness to downplay traditional form and rhythmic precision in favor of interpretative license, is emotionally satisfying in a way that more-straitlaced performances are not, although it is less sensitive than some other readings to the time period in which Bach actually wrote the suites. It is convincing on its own terms – which is really the most that anyone can hope for in performances of these endlessly fascinating solo-cello creations.