His parents were cantors, his brother was in the famous Kreuzchor - even as a young boy in Dresden and later as a music student in Leipzig, our principal cellist Friedemann Ludwig was always surrounded by Bach's music. While we were asking Friedemann about his musical home, we even took our 48-second Konzerthaus elevator up and down twice. Well, Bach is always quite a broad topic!

I don't even remember a time before Bach! As a little boy, I often fell asleep to his music when my father was preparing for the next Sunday at home on our very old, specially muted Seiler grand piano. My mother sang beautifully, and this direct access via the voice had a great influence on me with regard to Bach. When I accompany singers, I know exactly when they are breathing.

Whether I was taken along to listen as a child or sang along myself, somehow it only really became Christmas when the Christmas Oratorio was on the program. That's still the case for me today. The chorales are part of the festivities.

It is a dream for every young cellist to start playing the solo suites at some point. But you have to practise your instrument for at least five or six years. Before that, I sang and played a lot of continuo. In the beginning, his organ works inspired me much more than anything else anyway - a huge ocean of music, incredibly powerful pieces full of energy.

I have just ordered a violoncello piccolo. The sixth cello suite was originally played on a five-stringed instrument: The usual four, i.e. C-G-d-a, and an additional e-string. I tried it out and it really sounds quite different. Bach also used the cello piccolo in several cantatas, all of which are beautiful. It only has one disadvantage: its voice is very soft.

There are many people who find it calming and who perceive it as if there were an order: in the rhythm, but also in how the music develops, how it is composed, how it speaks to you internally.

The door opens in slow-motion.

I am very impatient! When I have an idea or a goal, I want to realize it as quickly as possible. That was already the case in my childhood. But enjoyment doesn't go hand in hand with "fast". Back then, I developed patience in front of the record player when I listened to the St. Matthew Passion up and down. I needed a lot of time for that - and I actually enjoyed it.