Cello Suites (DVD), Bel Air Classiques, Music & Performance

Following on the success of his adaptation of the Goldberg Variations, Spoerli turned to that other Bach masterpiece, the Suites for Solo Cello, offering his abstract vision in three stunningly beautiful dance episodes. The choreography mixes solos, pas de deux, trios and ensemble work. Beginning and ending with a near-identical solo, the cycle is dominated by circularity. The duets are virtuoso gems, athleticism made dance. It's subtle play on balance and the relationship between bodies and light, the symmetry and asymmetry of the ensemble parts, it's purity of movement and it's sheer energy make this a ballet of remarkable density, depth and theatrical beauty. The Bach Suites are played here by Claudius Herrmann, solo cellist with the Zurich Opera Orchestra, in a rendition that does full justice to their choreographic potential.