Cello at Midnight

Bach’s cello suites, one cellist and a medieval vault at half past eleven at night. By the time the Prelude of the first suite begins, the old town above has gone quiet and the only sounds are the strings and the candles.

The Kellergewölbe lies two floors under Bäckerstraße, reached by a stone stair worn hollow in the middle. Sixty chairs face a single cellist on a low rug, with candles on the steps and in the niches of the walls. The programme is the first, third and fifth suites: bright, then generous, then very dark indeed. No interval and no talking.

Ends just before a quarter to one, in time for the night buses. Warm layers recommended: the vault stays at twelve degrees.