Cellist Abel Selaocoe presents a music video of the Sarabande from Bach’s Cello Suite no.6 in D Major, BWV 1012. While the original was written with a five-string cello in mind — though nowadays most commonly performed on a cello with four strings, posing plenty of technical and musical challenges! — Selaocoe performs an arrangement for cello and string orchestra by Fred Thomas.

’This piece I really, really love because it speaks of singing in a different way; with a soulfulness that is universal,’ Selaocoe said of the work. ’When you hear the beginning, you become very calm and serene, as if it is creating that space just to sit back and reflect.’

Selaocoe is accompanied by the strings of Manchester Collective. The work is the latest single to be released from Selaocoe’s upcoming album, Hymns of Bantu, set for release on Warner Classics on 21 February 2025.

Read: Violinist Stefan Jackiw’s E string breaks during hefty Shostakovich performance; continues to transpose like a pro

Read: Sentimental Work: cellist Astrid Schween on Dvořák’s Waldesruhe

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