For most cellists, Bach’s six Cello Suites are more than a repertoire milestone — they’re a lifelong mirror, reflecting changes in skill, experience, and philosophy. Some artists return to them repeatedly over decades, others wait for the “right time” and record them only once.

Korean cellist Mun Tae-guk, now 30, didn’t think his moment would come quite this soon. “Honestly, I felt a lot of pressure,” he admitted at a press conference in Seoul. “When I first got the proposal, I wondered if I was ready. I’m still young, and it felt like such a big challenge. At one point I even thought, ‘Am I embarrassing myself by doing this now?’”

But the opportunity, he decided, was worth embracing. The result is his second album, Bach’s Cello Suites, released this week on Warner Classics. For Mun, the process wasn’t simply a recording project — it became an experiment in sound, texture, and authenticity.

In pursuit of a closer connection to Bach’s intentions, Mun ventured into period-performance territory. He tried a five-string piccolo cello, experimented with gut strings made from animal fibers, and ultimately settled on a hybrid setup: modern metal-core strings mixed with gut. “The gut strings are rough, but warm,” he said. “They’re completely different from what I expected — almost like a betrayal — but in a fascinating way. They made me think about how a less polished sound can feel more human and personal.”

It’s a departure from his debut album in 2019, where refinement and smoothness were the guiding ideals. “That album was very clean, very pristine,” he reflected. “Looking back, I regret that it might have been too polished. This time, I wanted something more natural — even if it’s a little raw.”

The recording includes Suite No. 1 alongside “Song of the Birds,” a nod to Pablo Casals, whose performances brought the Suites into the modern concert canon. Casals’ legacy also touches Mun’s career in another way: in 2014, he became the first Asian musician to win the Pablo Casals International Cello Competition. Two years later, he was named the inaugural recipient of the Janos Starker Award.

Mun will bring his Bach interpretations to the stage on Oct. 26 at the Seoul Arts Center in a rare two-part recital — Suites Nos. 1, 2, and 3 at 2 p.m., and Nos. 4, 5, and 6 at 8 p.m. The exact string combination he’ll use is still undecided.

The project has sparked another turning point: later this year, Mun will begin studies in Düsseldorf under Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey, a noted interpreter of Baroque repertoire. It will be his first extended period living in Europe. “I feel like I’m seeing these works with fresh eyes,” he said. “I want to revisit not just Bach, but other pieces too — to refine them, study them again, and maybe find something entirely new in them.”

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