Amazon.com editorial (“Essential recording”)

There are recorded sets of Bach’s Cello Suites that have much better sonics. There are sets that view Bach from the vantage point of Haydn and those from Vivaldi. But Casal’s 1930s set were the first sound recordings to begin the deluge of recordings described above. It was Casal’s scholarship and technical ability that allowed him to resurrect music old and forgotten as Mendelssohn had done 100 years before him with the Master’s St. Matthew Passion. Casal’s suites, beaming in from almost a century ago, define what depth and density mean when applied to the performance of music and the understanding of that performed. This is music of our collective unconscious, part of all of us.

"In the six remarkable suites for unaccompanied cello, more recent cellists can delight with a more smiling approach to these dances."

"Casals was one of the greatest musicians of this century and here you will hear why. If you have never heard this music before, you are in for a treat."

“These classic readings of the Bach cello suites are beautifully transferred here, aided by the unerring ear of Ward Marston. Casals was the first to take this music seriously and his performances are still stirring, though I notice his occasional expressive approach to intonation more than I once did before note–perfect cellists appeared on the scene.

“It’s hard to resist the disc, at its low price, …it also includes Kreisler’s 1927 version of the Brahms Violin concerto, his best performance of the piece, and one of its most moving recordings ever. (It also includes the Schumann Romance, which served as a filler on the odd side of the original 78–rpm issue.) Leo Blech’s conducting in the Brahms is another major positive factor. Again, Obert–Thorn’s restorations are exemplary.”

“Ward Marston, the local sound restorer, has taken the Casals HMV recordings from the 1930s of the Bach cello suites and expertly cleaned them up. Casals’ sound is dry and clean, revealing a kind of purity and technical honesty. A slight atmospheric background hiss does nothing to hinder the remarkable clarity.”