Yo-Yo Ma, performing at Stadtteilpark in Leipzig, Germany, earlier this month as part of his planned 36-city, six-continent tour that blends performances of Bach with community engagement. Credit Mustafah Abdulaziz for The New York Times.

And what Mr. Ma plays at moments like those [i.e. historic occasions], to make us cry and then soothe us, is, more often than not, a selection from the Bach cello suites.

“Learning a new piece is like moving from one place to another,” Mr. Ma said to a small audience, including immigrants, at a community center in Leipzig. Credit Mustafah Abdulaziz for The New York Times.

These six works are the Everest of his instrument’s repertory, offering a guide to nearly everything a cello can do — as well as, many believe, charting a remarkably complete anatomy of emotion and aspiration.

(Zachary Woolfe, “Yo-Yo Ma Wants Bach to Save the World,” NYTimes, 9-28-18)

(c) 2018 JMN.