In the wake of violinist Julia Fischer's cancelled recitals, cellist Pieter Wispelwey made his University Musical Society debut Wednesday evening at Rackham Auditorium with a program of solo works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Benjamin Britten.

Opening with Bach's Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007, the Dutch-born cellist delivered the 18th-century masterpiece with a striking ease of phrasing and an elegant range of emotion. The familiar Praeludium was infused with an appropriate sense of improvisation, and the work was rounded out with full-bodied double stops, moments of light verve and haunting lyricism, all within the sublime balance of Bach's creation.

Listen to Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: Allemande:

Wispelwey then followed with the 20th-century British composer Benjamin Britten's Suite No. 1, Op. 72, which was written for the late cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Despite giving the audience a brief "tour" of the work and performing the disparate elements of the work with finesse, Britten's composition simply lacked the brilliant cohesion of the Bach, and didn't hold up well in juxtaposition.

The 2nd half of the program also began with Bach — his Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008 — and finished with Britten's Suite No. 3, Op. 87. Wispelwey returned to Bach again with his engaging ease and breadth of phrasing. It was a little more subdued than the previous Bach suite on the program, but Wispelwey unfolded the work in a lovely, organic way.

The cellist again took to the microphone to provide some guidance to Britten's 3rd suite that followed. However, some of Wispelwey's grace that was so intriguing in the Bach may have put him in a bit of a disadvantage in the Britten, which would have benefited from more of an intense edge. The composition almost requires an over-the-top delivery to hold together.

However, the cellist moved through the captivating opening of the suite to the poignant lines of the Barcarolla and on to the Passacaglia, successfully putting across the profoundly stark ending.

Following a standing ovation, Wispelwey returned to the equilibrium of Bach for an encore. He played the Sarabande from the Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012, and all seemed right once again within this precious gem of music.

Laurel Firant is a free-lance writer for AnnArbor.com.