Cellist Steven Isserlis brings the house down

The iconic cellist Steven Isserlis performed with British conductor Alpesh Chauhan

He was on stage for just half an hour, but cellist Steven Isserlis CBE enchanted the packed Jamshed Bhabha Theatre in Mumbai on the night of September 20. As conductor Alpesh Chauhan waved his baton, the curly-haired British maestro dazzled on German composer Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A Minor.

Steven was one of the main attractions of the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) Autumn 2023 Season. Spread over five performances, the programme also featured Zakir Hussain’s Triple Concerto for the tabla, bansuri, sitar and the orchestra, besides appearances by conductor Richard Farnes, pianist Pavel Kolesnikov and violinist Marat Bisengaliev, who is also founding music director of SOI.

Schumann’s Cello Concerto was in three movements — Nicht Zu Schnell (not too fast), Langsam (slowly) and Sehr Lebhaft (very lively). Composed over a mere two-week period, the piece was premiered in 1860, and diverges from traditional concertos of its time. Musicologist Richard E. Rodda says that “rather than showcasing the soloist in a battle of wits against the orchestra, Schumann crafts a more collaborative narrative, blurring the lines between soloist and ensemble.”

Steven plays a 1726 Marquis de Corberon Stradivarius cello on loan from the Royal Academy of Music. He says the programme was decided when the tour was being planned. He adds, “I like everything about the Schumann composition. It is a work of genius from first to last — one of the most original, beautiful and profound concertos for any instrument.”

Steven puts Schumann’s name high on his list of favourite composers. He says, “It’s hard to decide an actual favourite. I always say that if I had to take the music of one composer to a desert island, it would have to be that of J.S. Bach. But then, I’d lose the music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and others. That would be terrible. However, I suppose that the two composers whose music I feel the greatest sense of mission, since I feel they are misunderstood and under-appreciated, are Schumann and Gabriel Faure.”

After receiving a standing ovation for the concerto and taking a bow, Steven returned to play the short encore ‘The Song Of The Birds’ by Spanish legend Pablo Casals and arranged by Sally Beamish. He says Pablo has always been one of his heroes as a performer, along with Daniil Shafran. He adds, “My biggest influence was probably my main teacher Jane Cowan, though there have been other major influences too.”

This was Steven first concert with British conductor Alpesh Chauhan, who has been associated with the Dusseldorfer Symphoniker, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Birmingham Opera Company. He says, “I have been to one concert of his, which was very impressive. But I didn’t meet him there. My first meeting was only at the rehearsals in Mumbai.”