Coming Soon,
Steven Isserlis takes on Prokofiev and Shostakovich
We hear that Steven Isserlis will join forces with Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra for a recording of two concertos associated with the great Mstislav Rostropovich - Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 and Prokofiev's Cello Concerto in E minor Op. 58, for release on Hyperion in spring 2015. One of the best-known cello concertos of the twentieth century, the Shostakovich is well represented on disc (not least by its illustrious dedicatee), but the Prokofiev is a comparative rarity in its original form - composed in the mid-1930s, it was poorly received at its premiere due in part (according to Bruno Monsaigneon's Notebooks and Conversations with Sviatoslav Richter) to an unsympathetic soloist and conductor. However, Rostropovich discovered the work through its piano score and persuaded the composer to rework it into the Sinfonia Concertante Op. 125 more than a decade later, with Sviatoslav Richter (who had played for piano rehearsals at the original work's premiere) making a rare foray into conducting for the first performance.
Isserlis certainly has form with Russian repertoire, and with these two composers in particular - Prokofiev's Cello Concertino Op. 132 (completed by Rostropovich) appears on his reVisions disc from 2010, and his performance of the Shostakovich concerto at the 2013 KlaraFestival with Teodor Currentzis and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra is available on DVD and Blu-ray from Euroarts.
Other recent recordings from Steven Isserlis
Prokofiev's Concertino Op. 132 features here, in Rostropovich's completion, alongside revised versions of works by Bloch (via Christopher Palmer), Debussy (via Sally Beamish) and Ravel (via Richard Tognetti).
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
A finalist at this year's Gramophone Awards, Isserlis's traversal of Beethoven's works for cello and fortepiano (with Robert Levin) was praised by BBC Music Magazine as containing some of 'the finest Beethoven performances you are likely to hear'.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Isserlis's exploration of Dvořák's evergreen concerto in both its incarnations with Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Daniel Harding was both a Gramophone Editor's Choice and BBC Music Magazine Orchestral Choice last year, with The Sunday Times observing that 'his performance recalls the reckless abandon of the youthful Jacqueline du Pré...tempered with the wisdom of experience and musical maturity'.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Released in early 2013, this triptych of meditations on war comprises Ernest Bloch's Schelomo, Frank Bridge's 1930 Oration, and the world premiere recording of Isserlis's fellow Hyperion artist Stephen Hough's The Loneliest Wilderness; 'an outstanding disc of glorious music, superbly played and recorded' (MusicWeb International).
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
With works by Thomas Adès (who is also the sympathetic accompanist), Fauré, Janáček, Kurtág and Liszt, this eclectic recital was widely praised in the UK and US press on its release in late 2012; it was a recent Building a Library First Choice for the Fauré and a Gramophone Disc of the Month in late 2012.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
