Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suites in transcription for solo violin

In the introduction text for his latest album, violinist TomásCotiks writes: "Bach's six suites for solo cello, considered among the composer's most significant musical achievements, remain enigmatic after more than 300 years, 100 editions and 200 record albums. Some of the questions that arise relate to the instrument for which they were written, their original title, the date of composition and their chronological order. The absence of Johann Sebastian Bach's signature and contradictory details on the manuscript add to the mystery of articulations, dynamics, ornaments and even notation. At the same time, questions are raised about the possible sacrilege of transcribing for other instruments these works that cellists consider their "musical Bible". And yet the idea of transcription is by no means new. Bach himself was constantly reworking and arranging his own music, as well as that of other composers, often creating versions for different instruments in different keys," recalls North American violinist TomásCotik, a knowledgeable scholar of Baroque creation and professor at the University of Portland.He chose to record Bach's famous cello suites in his own arrangement for solo violin, the pieces being transposed to an ascending fifth from the original key. The album was pressed in 2021 at Portland State University, Oregon, and released on January 5^th on North American label Centaur Records.

Tomás Cotik is a respected North American violinist and teacher of Ukrainian and Argentinian descent, a musician who has performed hundreds of chamber recitals and concerts around the world. In recent seasons he has performed at Merkin Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, and on stages in Connecticut, Detroit and Miami, and has also toured in California, Mexico, Taiwan and Israel. In 2023 she was awarded a fellowship in Spain, and before that she taught violin at universities in Florida, West Texas and Miami. She regularly teaches master classes at prestigious institutions and publishes articles in pedagogical philosophy and performance at peer-reviewed publications in the United States.TomásCotik is therefore not only an exceptional violinist but also a passionate researcher of pedagogical and musicological phenomena, and these qualities are reflected in his performances, especially those of pre-classical music. He has recorded Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suites with a baroque bow that lends stylistic authenticity to his interpretation.

Tomás Cotik has so far released 19 albums with an extensive repertoire including works by Piazzolla, Schubert, Mozart, Telemann and Bach, among others, which have enjoyed success in the United States and received favourable reviews from international publications such as Gramophone, Fanfare and MusicWeb International.