Johann Sebastian Bach - Suite, Partita & Sonata for 2 Piccolo Cellos (Mario Brunello; Mauro Valli)

Information

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

• Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005
• Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011
• Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006

Mario Brunello & Mauro Valli, piccolo cellos

Date: 2026

Label: Arcana

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Uniting two violoncelli piccoli, one with four strings and the other with five, this project creates the impression of a newly invented instrument, an “organ of strings” capable of rendering virtuosic polyphony with an expanded and enriched tonal palette. Inspired by Gustav Leonhardt’s keyboard transcriptions of Bach’s Suites, Sonatas, and Partitas, Mario Brunello reimagines three solo works for unaccompanied violin and cello, illuminating contrapuntal lines previously confined to four strings. He is joined by longtime collaborator Mauro Valli, whose distinctive interpretation of the Cello Suites was previously released on Arcana (Bach in Bologna, 2019), further deepening this innovative exploration of Bach’s polyphony.

Mario Brunello, born October 21, 1960 in Castelfranco Veneto, is one of Italy’s most distinguished cellists. Trained in Venice and with Antonio Janigro, he gained international recognition in 1986 as the first Italian to win the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (ex aequo with Kirill Rodin). He has since performed with leading orchestras worldwide and collaborated with eminent conductors including Claudio Abbado, Valery Gergiev, and Zubin Mehta. An accomplished chamber musician and conductor, he founded the Orchestra d’Archi Italiana in 1994. Brunello’s extensive discography spans Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and contemporary repertoire. He performs on a 17th-century Maggini cello.

Mauro Valli, born in Sant’Agata Feltria, is an Italian cellist and winemaker rooted in the tradition of Camillo Oblach. After winning major competitions, he joined the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala, performing under conductors such as Leonard Bernstein and Carlos Kleiber, before dedicating himself to chamber and Baroque music. A founding member of Accademia Bizantina, he has collaborated with leading ensembles and artists, including Anner Bylsma and Maurice Steger. Active internationally as a soloist and chamber musician, Valli has recorded extensively and specializes in historical instruments, including the five-string violoncello piccolo and arpeggione.