One of the first recordings I ever owned was “Bach’s Greatest Hits” - on cassette - and I listened to it over and over again as a child. Since then, my affinity for Bach has manifested itself in many ways: learning and performing the complete solo suites, giving lectures and teaching courses on Bach; and even walking down the alley to his music. To me, Bach’s music has a universal quality that transcends time period and genre. It is both archaic and modern, romantic and cerebral, structured and improvisatory. He combines technical mastery with sincerity and humility to create music that speaks to the human inside each of us and to his God above. Over the years I have also been drawn to contemporary music. In New York I performed many new music gigs, often dragging my too-heavy cello case to the far reaches of the outer boroughs in order to play freshly composed compositions for small - yet enthusiastic - crowds. Since those days I have commissioned multiple composers to write pieces for me and have participated in some fantastic new music ensembles. The colorful, unexpected world of new music never ceases to captivate me, and I delight in working with composers to make their imaginations come alive. When choosing what to include on this album, I knew I wanted to highlight my dual loves for Bach and new music. I chose a Bach suite, then I commissioned composers to write pieces somehow inspired by the suite. Patrick Greene and Peter Susser joined the project as my honored composers, and here is the result: Reimagining Bach. - Laura Usiskin