Bach loved the viola. His son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach writes that his father enjoyed playing it in orchestras, from which position he could best appreciate the surrounding harmony. Despite the limited projection of the viola of his day, he was one of the first composers to give the viola (in fact, two violas) a solo role, in his sixth Brandenburg Concerto. I feel certain that he would have been delighted to hear the Cello Suites played  on the viola as it sounds today. The higher pitch and characteristic warmth of the viola’s sonority bring a different perspective to this timeless and universally appealing music. This recording is the fruit of my 40-year-old love affair with the Suites.