Marrow Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007:
• 1Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude02:43
• 2Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: II. Allemande02:36
• 3Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: III. Courante01:28
• 4Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande01:46
• 5Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: V. Menuett I - VI. Menuett II02:10
• 6Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: VII. Gigue01:06
• Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008:
• 7Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: I. Prélude03:44
• 8Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: II. Allemande01:43
• 9Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: III. Courante01:07
• 10Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: IV. Sarabande02:35
• 11Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: V. Menuett I - VI. Menuett II01:50
• 12Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008: VII. Gigue01:29
• Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009:
• 13Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: I. Prélude03:54
• 14Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: II. Allemande02:10
• 15Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: III. Courante01:44
• 16Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: IV. Sarabande02:24
• 17Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: V. Bourrée I - VI. Bourrée II02:36
• 18Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: VII. Gigue01:55
• Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010:
• 19Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: I. Prélude03:56
• 20Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: II. Allemande02:17
• 21Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: III. Courante02:03
• 22Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: IV. Sarabande02:28
• 23Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: V. Bourrée I - VI. Bourrée II03:21
• 24Bach: Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: VII. Gigue01:31
• Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011:
• 25Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: I. Prélude06:40
• 26Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: II. Allemande03:06
• 27Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: III. Courante00:59
• 28Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: IV. Sarabande02:09
• 29Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: V. Gavotte I - VI. Gavotte II02:55
• 30Bach: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: VII. Gigue01:22
• Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012:
• 31Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: I. Prélude04:39
• 32Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: II. Allemande03:41
• 33Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: III. Courante02:05
• 34Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: IV. Sarabande02:40
• 35Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: V. Gavotte I - VI. Gavotte II02:44
• 36Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012: VII. Gigue02:26
• Total Runtime01:30:02

Info for Marrow

There is an Icelandic saying, “mergur málsins”, which directly translates to “the marrow of the matter,” and these Suites, to me, speak directly to the essence of being human. As for many cellists, these Suites have been my steady companion throughout my life with the cello, first as a vehicle to learn counterpoint, style, and harmony, then as material with which to explore personal expression and interpretation, and today they are a mirror, reflecting the deeper truth of the human experience, revealing more layers of meaning each time I come back to them.

As far as we know, these Suites were not written for the church, and by 1720, they were not written for people to actually dance to, but rather as forms with familiar rhythms and style. In contrast to the Violin Sonatas and Partitas which were written around the same time, the Cello Suites each have the same movement structure, which includes a Prelude and two pairs of dances (Allemande and Courante, Sarabande and Gigue) with an added “wildcard” of pairs of Menuets, Gavottes, or Bourées. Rather than hindering expression, this structure seems to enable more creativity to flow, as Bach pushes the boundaries of the expressive and technical possibilities of the instrument with each succeeding Suite.

During the heart of the pandemic of 2020, I found comfort and refuge in these Suites. As I began to play them not just individually but as a set, an arch started to emerge, a true hero’s journey: starting with the innocent 1st Suite in G major, the first taste of bitter disappointment in the d minor 2nd Suite, a renewed optimism in the 3rd Suite in C major, the bold and brash 4th Suite in Eb Major, the dark tragedy of the 5th Suite in C minor, and finally the glorious redemption of the 6th Suite in D Major. My hope in presenting these Suites without repeats is to more clearly illuminate this arch of their presented order so that we may more closely follow this universal storyline. (Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir)

Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir, cello

Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir
Icelandic-American cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir enjoys a varied career as a performer, collaborator and teaching artist. She has appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Iceland Symphony, among others, and her recital and chamber music performances have taken her across the US, Europe and Asia. Sæunn has performed in many of the world’s prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, Elbphilharmonie, Barbican Center and Disney Hall and the Los Angeles Times praised her performances for their “emotional intensity”.

In the 2018-2019 season, Sæunn made her debut with the BBC and Seattle Symphonies performing the award-winning cello concerto, Quake, written for her by Páll Ragnar Pálsson. Chamber music appearances took her to Carnegie Hall in New York City, Glasgow, and Los Angeles, as well as recitals in Reykjavík, Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago following the Spring 2019 release of “Vernacular”, her recording of Icelandic solo cello music on the Sono Luminus label.

Highlights of the 2017-2018 season include the US premiere of Betsy Jolas’ Wanderlied and the Hong Kong premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina’s Canticle of the Sun, as well as recitals and chamber music appearances in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Glasgow, London and Reykjavík. In addition to collaborating with Daníel Bjarnason on his award-winning composition Bow to String, Sæunn enjoys working with composers of our time such as Páll Ragnar Pálsson, Halldór Smárason, Þuríður Jónsdóttir and Melia Watras.

An avid chamber musician, she has collaborated in performance with Itzhak Perlman, Mitsuko Uchida, Richard Goode and members of the Emerson, Guarneri and Cavani Quartets and has participated in numerous chamber music festivals, including Prussia Cove and Marlboro, with whom she has toured. Formerly Artist-in-Residence at Green Music Center’s Weill Hall in Sonoma as well as cellist of the Manhattan Piano Trio, she is currently cellist of the Seattle-based chamber music group, Frequency, and cellist and Co-Artistic Director of Decoda, The Affiliate Ensemble of Carnegie Hall.

Sæunn has garnered numerous prizes in international competitions, including the Naumburg Competition in New York and the Antonio Janigro Competition in Zagreb, Croatia. She received a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music, a Master of Music from The Juilliard School and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from SUNY Stony Brook. Her principal teachers include Richard Aaron, Tanya L. Carey, Colin Carr and Joel Krosnick.

Sæunn is an alum of Ensemble ACJW (now known as Ensemble Connect)— a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education—performing chamber music at Carnegie Hall and bringing classical music to students in the New York City Public Schools.

Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sæunn serves on the faculty of the University of Washington in Seattle, teaching cello and chamber music.

Booklet for Marrow