Thank you everyone for you input. Mimi writes: >buy both, (Kirshbaum and Blysma,) and, for your first assignment, compare >individual movements. Well, Ms. Ezust....what if I don't wanna do my homework assignment? :) I picked up the Kirshbaum, and have been enjoying it immensely--Bach's music is almost as good as Respighi's "Ancient Airs and Dances." A few observations: Kirshbaum really seems to be celebrating the *sound* of his cello--Even Terry Riley's "In C" would be a beautiful thing if arranged for four cellists possessing the ear of Kirshbaum. Kirshbaum sharply characterizes individual movt's of each suite so that this Bach newbie doesn't lose his way. I noticed that KB also colors each strand of Bach's polyphony differently, which certainly helps in the comprehension dept. (I missed this with the Harrell.) Kirshbaum lends a sincerely delightful lilt and bounce to the dance numbers, and in the more reflective moments, turns phrases so poetically that I momentarily forget my need for music with multiple harps, gongs, big organs, and wind machines--could Bach and a single Cello be enough? Naw..... John Smyth