CELLO IN CANDLELIGHT 

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An Evening of Works by Johann Sebastian Bach

“Bach’s music will help our time achieve the spiritual concentration and depth so necessary for us.” – Albert Schweitzer

 

Total duration: approx. 45–60 minutes
The duration of the programme can be adapted as needed.

Performed without intermission – optionally designed as an open listening ritual with a meditative beginning and ending.

 

 

 

CONCEPT AND PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

 

A concert dedicated to introspection, clarity, and inner stillness – illuminated by the warm glow of hundreds of candles and shaped by the unparalleled musical architecture of Johann Sebastian Bach. This solo programme for cello offers a return to the elemental forces of music: sound, silence, breath.

Rather than presenting all six Cello Suites (BWV 1007–1012) as a complete cycle, the performance offers a curated selection of movements, shaped into a dramaturgical arc that unfolds as a unique and emotionally resonant narrative. The focus lies not in the linear representation of Baroque forms, but in the lived experience they invite.

 

Each suite is treated as a chapter within a broader story – full of contrast, motion, and stillness. In the intentionally pared-down atmosphere of sound and light, the music becomes a contemplative space in which listeners may reflect, resonate, and reconnect with themselves.

 

Dmitrij Gornowskij approaches Bach’s music with a rare balance of structural precision and poetic freedom. His interpretations blend expressive clarity with technical finesse, allowing the dance forms of the Baroque to evolve into moments of stillness and inward speech. In his hands, sound becomes the language of the inner world.

 

This production is ideally suited for atmospheric concert formats – whether in churches, intimate theatres, historical spaces, or open-air venues enhanced by artificial candle installations. On request, a light design can be developed to accompany the music with shifting light zones and architectural accents, amplifying the connection between space and sound.

 

 

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

 

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

Selected movements from the Suites for Solo Cello, BWV 1007–1012

 

• Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007: Prelude – Allemande – Sarabande
• Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008: Prelude – Courante – Sarabande
• Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011: Prelude or Sarabande
• Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012: Gavotte I & II

 

 

OPTIONAL ENHANCEMENTS

 

• May be extended with improvisatory interludes between the suites (tonal bridges, resonance transitions)
• Available in talk-concert format: introduction by the artist on structure, intuition, and interpretation
• Optional collaboration with lighting designers and spatial artists
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The duration of the programme can be adjusted.

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