Yo-Yo Ma: The Bach Project

The phenomenal cellist Yo-Yo Ma brings Bach's timeless suites to the heart of Prague for an unprecedented celebration of music's power to heal and inspire.

He's played for presidents Eisenhower, Obama, and Vaclav Havel and has twenty Grammy awards to his name, but what remains the primary motivation for Yo-Yo Ma is his belief in the power of music to foster connections that stimulate the imagination and reinforce our humanity, to see music as a force for cultural and social improvement. This is the driver behind his unique Bach Project, which seeks to bring this timeless music to the widest, most inclusive audience possible around the world. And he has chosen to work with Strings of Autumn's Prague Sounds festival in bringing this project to the Czech Republic.

“'This concert is just one stop on a journey to share this music with people seeking equilibrium and solace at a moment of unprecedented change. I share this music, which has helped shape the evolution of my life, with the hope that it might spark a conversation about how culture can be a source of the solutions we need,” says Yo-Yo. “‘Bach’s cello suites’ have been my constant musical companions. For almost six decades, they have given me sustenance, comfort, and joy during times of stress, celebration, and loss. What power does this music possess that even today, after three hundred years, it continues to help us navigate through troubled times?”_

Yo-Yo Ma will be performing the suites in Rudolfinum, with the concert being simultaneously broadcast in selected open-air locations in the heart of Prague. This is an unprecedented concert and a one-off opportunity to commune with the great master of the cello in intimate surroundings. As Yo-Yo says, “I invite you to join me on this adventure, to listen and be inspired.”

“The greatest cellist in the world and, some would argue, the greatest cellist ever.” – Washington Post

Programme: Bach: Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello