"Gift Voucher: six Suites for Slava": This note, scribbled on a paper napkin, was a promise supposedly made in 1964 by Benjamin Britten to the cellist Mstislav "Slava" Rostropovich. It would appear that he wanted to compose for his friend a contemporary counterpart to Bach's Solo Suites, which for any cellist are a sort of Old Testament in the cello repertoire. Britten took Baroque dance movements as a model and formed them into modern character pieces. Both from the point of view of form and tone, they exude a kinship and affinity with Johann Sebastian Bach. The fact that he actually only composed three suites was due to Britten's poor health and his death not long afterwards.

Jakob Spahn was born in Berlin. He attained his soloist's diploma with distinction. He is a prizewinner of numerous nation al and intern ati on al competitions. 2011 Jakob Spahn was appointed solo cellist with the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. He has recorded Penderecki's First Cello Concerto and all of the works for solo cello for CD under the direction of the composer. In 2018 the Hanssler Classic label released a recording of Friedrich Gulda's Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations. Jakob Spahn teaches as a professor at the Nürnberg College of Music and regularly gives master classes.