A Golden Cello Decade, 1878-1888: Dvořák, R. Strauss, Bruch, Le Beau Steven Isserlis

• Max Bruch (1838 - 1920): Kol Nidrei, Op. 47:
• 1Bruch: Kol Nidrei, Op. 4710:18
• Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949): Cello Sonata in F Major, Op. 6 (1881 Original Version):
• 2Strauss: Cello Sonata in F Major, Op. 6 (1881 Original Version): I. Allegro con brio09:06
• 3Strauss: Cello Sonata in F Major, Op. 6 (1881 Original Version): II. Larghetto07:16
• 4Strauss: Cello Sonata in F Major, Op. 6 (1881 Original Version): III. Finale. Allegro vivace09:08
• Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904): 4 Romantic Pieces, Op. 75 (Transcr. Isserlis):
• 5Dvořák: 4 Romantic Pieces, Op. 75 (Transcr. Isserlis): No. 1, Allegro moderato03:17
• 6Dvořák: 4 Romantic Pieces, Op. 75 (Transcr. Isserlis): No. 2, Allegro maestoso02:30
• 7Dvořák: 4 Romantic Pieces, Op. 75 (Transcr. Isserlis): No. 3, Allegro appassionato02:42
• 8Dvořák: 4 Romantic Pieces, Op. 75 (Transcr. Isserlis): No. 4, Larghetto07:51
• Luise Adolpha Le Beau (1850 - 1927): Cello Sonata in D Major, Op. 17:
• 9Le Beau: Cello Sonata in D Major, Op. 17: I. Allegro molto05:26
• 10Le Beau: Cello Sonata in D Major, Op. 17: II. Andante tranquillo04:30
• 11Le Beau: Cello Sonata in D Major, Op. 17: III. Allegro vivace05:53
• Ernst David Wagner (1806 - 1883): Schir Zijon, Op. 44:
• 12Wagner: Schir Zijon, Op. 44: I. Kol Nidrei05:17
• Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864): Oh! Weep for Those (Arr. Isserlis):
• 13Nathan: Oh! Weep for Those (Arr. Isserlis)03:32
• Total Runtime01:16:46

Info for A Golden Cello Decade, 1878-1888: Dvořák, R. Strauss, Bruch, Le Beau

Steven Isserlis has curated another typically imaginative recital, in which all the works date—in one guise or another—from an especially fruitful decade in the history of the cello.

‘It never rains but it pours’—what a silly expression that is! As if there were no such thing as light rain, or drizzle; but, as we in Britain know all too well, there are indeed such things as downpours. And in musical, and specifically cello and piano, terms, the plethora of music that emerged between 1878 and 1888 could well be described as a downpour. Until that time, cello sonatas of major importance had arrived in a series of relative trickles. Beethoven’s five sonatas were written over three different decades, the last two dating from 1815; Mendelssohn’s two sonatas appeared in 1838 and 1843, Chopin’s in 1846, Brahms’s first in 1866, Saint-Saëns’s first in 1873. Of shorter works, only the (surviving) pieces by Schumann, as well as the slighter productions of Mendelssohn and Chopin, have really made it into the repertoire. It’s a glorious list, true; but hardly a flood, especially when compared to the violin or piano repertoire from the period. ...

Steven Isserlis, cello
Connie Shih, piano

Steven Isserlis
Acclaimed worldwide for his profound musicianship and technical mastery, British cellist Steven Isserlis enjoys a uniquely varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, author and broadcaster. He appears with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, and gives recitals in major musical centres. As a chamber musician he has curated concert series for prestigious venues, including London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s 92nd St Y, and the Salzburg Festival. Unusually, he also directs chamber orchestras from the cello in classical programmes.

He has a strong interest in historical performance, working with a number of period-instrument orchestras and giving recitals with harpsichord and fortepiano. A keen exponent of contemporary music, he has given premieres of Sir John Tavener’s The protecting veil, Thomas Adès’s Lieux retrouvés, three solo cello pieces by György Kurtág, and works by Heinz Holliger and Jörg Widmann.

Steven’s wide-ranging discography includes J S Bach’s complete solo cello suites (Gramophone’s Instrumental Album of the Year), Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano, concertos by C P E Bach and Haydn, the Elgar and Walton concertos, and the Brahms double concerto with Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Since 1997 Steven has been Artistic Director of the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove, Cornwall. He enjoys playing for children, and has created three musical stories with the composer Anne Dudley. His two books for children, published by Faber & Faber, have been translated into many languages. His latest books are a commentary on Schumann’s Advice for Young Musicians, and a companion to the Bach suites, published to great acclaim in 2021. He has devised and written two evenings of words and music—one describing the last years of Robert Schumann, the other devoted to Marcel Proust and his salons. Steven has presented numerous radio programmes, including documentaries about two of his heroes: Robert Schumann and Harpo Marx.

Steven’s honours and awards include a CBE for services to music, the Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau, the Piatigorsky Prize and Maestro Foundation Genius Grant in the US, the Glashütte Award in Germany, the Gold Medal awarded by the Armenian Ministry of Culture, and the Wigmore Medal.

Steven plays the ‘Marquis de Corberon’ Stradivarius of 1726, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.

Booklet for A Golden Cello Decade, 1878-1888: Dvořák, R. Strauss, Bruch, Le Beau