VC Artist Cellist Benedict Kloeckner’s New Album: “Sounds of Light”

Between each of the six Bach cello suites on his new album, German cello virtuoso VC Artist Benedict Kloeckner includes miniature compositions for solo cello that he commissioned from composers across six different continents under the motto “Sounds of Light.”

The first disc of the Sounds of Light album includes Bach’s first three cello suites bookended by José Elizondo’s Unter dem Sternenhimmel des Rheins, Elena Kats-Chernin’s I am Cello, and Bongani Ndodana-Breen’s Soweto Cello Riffs.

The album’s second disc comprises Bach’s cello suites four and five, alongside Eric Tanguy’s In Between, and Geoffrey Gordon’s Nes qu’on porroit. The album concludes with the sixth and final cello suite plus Sweet Sweets by Dai Fujikura.

Through the commissions, which correspond with the suites, Benedict aimed to create a dialogue between the old and new eras of music, bridging three centuries and six continents. 

Recorded in Fall 2020 at the SWR Studio in Kaiserslautern, Germany, the works on the album, especially the Bach cello suites, has been a “long-time dream” of Benedict’s to record. 

“The dynamic interaction between Bach and this contemporary echo is very interesting. It adds something to both,” he said in April 2021, according to the press release.

“The six Bach suites are the core of the repertoire for any cellist, and then working with these great composers as well did something to rescue this last difficult year [due to the pandemic lockdowns] at least as far as my mood was concerned.” 

To purchase and listen to the album, click here.

An introduction to the album can be watched below. 

A graduate of the Kronberg Academy, Benedict’s mentors included Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman, and Martin Ostertag. He is a former major prize winner at the Emanuel Feuermann and Animato International Cello Competitions, and recipient of the European Broadcasting Union Award and European Culture Prize.

He is the artistic director and founder of the Koblenz International Music Festival and recently signed with the Primavera Consulting artist management agency. He currently performs on a 1680 Ruggeri Cello, on generous loan from Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.