"Intet nytt under solen", Bach er og har vært inspirasjonskilde for svært mange skapende mennesker - uavhengig av kunstform og sjanger. Albert Schweitzer mente alt fører til Bach, i forståelsen at Bach var et vendepunkt som alt pekte frem mot før, og alt i ettertid pekte tilbake til. 

På slutten av 90-tallet gikk Yo-Yo Ma helt nye veier i å formidle Bachs cellosuiter ved å la hver av suitene bli en film i samarbeid med ulike kunstnere, artister og regissører. Alt fra en hagearkitekt som skapte en hage basert på suite nr 1, via dans i ulike former inklusiv isdans og japansk tradisjonell dans. Serien med 6 timelange filmer har tittelen "Inspired by Bach". Sånn sett kan denne tittelen skues tilbake til dette prosjektet som var en åpenbaring av muligheter mellom Bachs musikk og visuelle forestillinger.

For Yo-Yo Ma var dette den andre komplette innspilling av Bachs suiter. Hans tredje "Six Evolutions" kom i 2018, og var knyttet til hans store "Bach Project" som tar Bach ut i alle verdens hjørner som et håpsbærende humanistisk prosjekt.

All the things I love about life outside music have to do with people, and playing the cello allows me to fulfill all those interests through music.  

- Yo-Yo Ma

In 2018, Yo-Yo set out to perform Johann Sebastian Bach's six suites for solo cello in one sitting in 36 locations around the world that encompass our cultural heritage, our current creativity, and the challenges of peace and understanding that will shape our future. And last year, he began a new journey to explore the many ways in which culture connects us to the natural world. Over the next several years, Yo-Yo will visit places that epitomize nature's potential to move the human soul, creating collaborative works of art and convening conversations that seek to strengthen our relationship to our planet and to each other.

In addition to his work as a performing artist, Yo-Yo has partnered with communities and institutions from Chicago to Guangzhou to develop programs that advocate for a more human-centered world. Among his many roles, Yo-Yo is a UN Messenger of Peace, the first artist ever appointed to the World Economic Forum's board of trustees, and a member of the board of Nia Tero, the US-based nonprofit working in solidarity with Indigenous peoples and movements worldwide.

"As musicians, we transcend technique in order to seek out the truths in our world in a way that gives meaning and sustenance to individuals and communities. That's art for life's sake. 

- Yo-Yo Ma"

My Journey with Bach

"Culture is the foundation on which we will imagine and build a world in which we reaffirm our commitment to equality and safety for all, we act with empathy, and we know that we can always do better." 

- Yo-Yo Ma

Yo-Yo Ma plays Bach

Bach Cello Suite No 1 in G major BWV 1007 

I think the six Bach suites are my calling card. It's the most personal and universal music that I know. And so, part of this effort is to bring my deep concern and passion and curiosity about wherever I go, how people live, how people think, what their needs are, with saying, 'Well this is my calling card. This is what I have to offer'. They seem to hit a most human of nerves that can be healing, that can actually get to people when they're in moments of doubt or crisis or just general anxiety.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             - Yo Yo Ma