Pieter Wispelwey on his recording career for Channel Classics

The culmination of two decades of work - the recently-released 35-CD box-set from Channel Classics brings together cellist Pieter Wispelwey's impressive output over that time, with repertoire ranging from the Baroque (two accounts of Bach's solo suites, plus plenty of Vivaldi and Telemann) via classical favourites and arrangements (including a truly delightful version of Brahms's Violin Sonata No. 1 arranged by Paul Klengel) right through to more contemporary works by Sofia Gubaidulina, the late George Crumb and Brett Dean.

Pieter was kind enough to share with us some reflections on his career with Channel and the recordings that it generated...

How did the collaboration with Channel Classics initially come about?

Amsterdam is a small place. Our networks or bubbles or whatever overlapped. Jared Sacks, the founder of Channel Classics, organised house concerts in his home, which he recorded. I was one of many musicians who performed there. When the National Concert Agency decided to build a CD library with iconic and core chamber music repertoire for their subscription holders, I was invited to suggest repertoire. Bach Suites were the obvious choice. At the age of 26 I had performed them for about 10 years, more than any other repertoire, and I felt more or less familiar with them. Jared was the person in charge of recording that series. I did Suites 3, 4 and 5 under the condition that after two years I could complete the set of six for commercial release. Within those two years Jared got his label under way, allowing me to not only release the Bach Suites, but also the complete Beethoven and Brahms Sonatas before my 30th. On period instrument. In the meantime on modern cello, I recorded the Britten Suites and the Kodaly Sonata for the label Globe, but the Channel Classics recordings got the brunt of the attention.

You’ve recorded Bach’s Cello Suites twice on Channel Classics - how did your approach to the Suites change between those two albums?

It was (and still is) all about breathing more life into the interpretations. Characters of the Suites and the movements might have stayed roughly the same, it was the colouring that became more explicit and expressive. I hope…

Your recording career stretches from the Baroque to the late 20th century - is there a particular period or style of composition that you enjoy playing above all the others?

Not really. A concert program like the complete Beethoven Sonatas, because of the sheer quality of the compositions, is an utter delight. Schubert is probably my favourite composer, but his eight pieces for solo instrument and piano have no cello sonata. The arpeggione sonata is for Arpeggione. But still recording all of those eight pieces, of which six are originally for violin and piano, along with all the Brahms duo’s (7 sonatas plus a Scherzo), was the greatest musical joy of my fifties. Doing the major concertos for Channel was tremendously exciting and they form a central element in my discography. But maybe, maybe the disc with the Chopin Waltzes, Mazurkas and Preludes is my favourite Channel recording. Difficult though. As there is the live Dvořák with Iván Fischer. And the Haydn Concertos with Florilegium. And the collaborations with the Australian Chamber Orchestra….

I gather that as a child you initially studied the piano, before changing to the cello - any regrets…?

Well, tough one. Cello is a universal melodic instrument. I was just part of the Cello Biennale Amsterdam. If Soltani or Altsteadt play you can’t imagine a better instrument. Especially listening to 21st century repertoire. But pre-Rostropovich we were always at the losing end, the piano and the violin being the favourites of all great composers.