Steven Isserlis, Connie Shih - A Golden Cello Decade, 1878-1888 (2022)

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.
"Isserlis's lockdown project is a fascinating collection of interconnected solo cello pieces: Bach, the Russian master-cellist, and Isserlis himself are the links…but the Britten Suite is the meatiest item here: truly a "meditation" on death, as Isserlis calls it, and played with a technical and musical conviction worthy of its creators."

Reviews
‘Le Beau’s compact and tuneful sonata has been recorded several times but never with anything like the exultant energy on display here. Isserlis pours his heart into the lilting slow movement, and he and Connie Shih seize every opportunity to ratchet up the drama—as at 2'41" in the opening Allegro molto. They bring a similar exuberance to Richard Strauss’s youthful Op 6, heard here in its rarely played original form … Isserlis isn’t the first cellist to adapt [Dvořák's] glorious miniatures for his instrument but I find his account the most persuasive yet, particularly in the melodious sobbing of the final piece. Listen, say, to the vocal quality of his tone at 2'01", at 3'25" and again at the end. The effect is absolutely heart-rending … everything about this release is a pleasure, from the refinement and intensity of the performances to the absolute perfection of the recorded sound. Don’t miss it’ (Gramophone)
‘No cellist alive can match the eloquent intent of Steven Isserlis’s line. Every phrase he threads through the warm embrace of Connie Shih’s pianism is articulated and ‘breathed’ with the ardour of a great vocalist, while his mercurial energy sets alight [Le Beau's] Allegro vivace’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘For me, Le Beau’s Cello Sonata is the discovery that makes the whole recital sing … full of Mendelssohnian spirit, energy, sunshine, melodic joy. Hard to imagine it being more passionately championed than it is here … Kol Nidrei by Bruch is the other highlight here for me and the young Richard Strauss’s Sonata has rarely been made to feel as substantial as it does here’ (BBC Record Review)
‘Isserlis has certainly collected a lovely set of pieces here, (almost) all from the 1880s. As you’d expect, his playing on this release is absolutely without fault … the highlight of this release is easily Luise Adolpha Le Beau’s Cello Sonata, Op 17. A quick online search shows few high-profile recordings of the piece before now, but I’ll eat my hat if this high-octane recording doesn’t push this fabulous work into the repertoire of a few more cellists. It’s intense, moody, and moving—everything you want out of a good sonata, and indeed everything you want out of a good new release, too’ (Limelight, Australia)

‘Isserlis is on top form here, playing with lucid intelligence, variegated bow weight and expressive intensity. Shih takes on her burdens with scrupulous clarity and together they form an immaculate team. A fine recording completes the pleasures of this slightly odd-looking but ultimately attractive disc’ (MusicWeb International)
‘Isserlis has a knack for coming up with clever CD concepts, and his latest, A Golden Cello Decade: 1878-1888, is no exception … the extraordinary pianist is Connie Shih. Isserlis says she is his favorite from among his many distinguished (he calls them 'long-suffering') keyboard partners. There is also a lovely cameo by harpist Olivia Jageurs during Bruch’s Kol Nidrei (where the harp appears in the orchestral version). This gorgeous chestnut opens the album with a dramatic flair that never turns maudlin’ (The Arts Fuse, USA)

‘Whatever it was that made the 1880s such an astonishingly fertile moment for cello writing, Isserlis's decision to double down and draw attention to even more works from that decade pays dividends. The original version of the Strauss is a joy, the Kol Nidrei offshoots are fascinating, and the Le Beau is a truly magnificent rediscovery that belongs right at the heart of the repertoire’ (Presto Classical)

„„Es regnet nie, aber es schüttet.“ Dieses britische Sprichwort hat Steven Isserlis seinen Ausführungen im Beiheft vorangestellt. Damit möchte er andeuten, dass das Jahrzehnt um 1880 für Cellisten ein goldener Boden ist. In der Tat: die neue Aufnahme bringt sehr unterschiedliche Komponisten zusammen, die alle nochmal eine späte Form der Romantik aufblühen lassen. Isserlis und Connie Shih spielen diese Musik mit viel Wärme im Ton und Lust an der Entdeckung. Ein Album, das erfolgreich wenig bekannte Pfade erkundet“ (WDR 3)

Tracklist
1. Bruch: Kol Nidrei, Op 47 (10:18)
2. Strauss (R): Cello Sonata in F major, Op 6 - 1: Allegro con brio (9:06)
3. Strauss (R): Cello Sonata in F major, Op 6 - 2: Larghetto (7:17)
4. Strauss (R): Cello Sonata in F major, Op 6 - 3: Allegro vivace (9:08)
5. Dvořák/Isserlis (S): 4 Romantic Pieces, Op 75 - 1: Allegro moderato (3:17)
6. Dvořák/Isserlis (S): 4 Romantic Pieces, Op 75 - 2: Allegro maestoso (2:31)
7. Dvořák/Isserlis (S): 4 Romantic Pieces, Op 75 - 3: Allegro appassionato (2:43)
8. Dvořák/Isserlis (S): 4 Romantic Pieces, Op 75 - 4: Larghetto (7:52)
9. Le Beau: Cello Sonata in D major, Op 17 - 1: Allegro molto (5:26)
10. Le Beau: Cello Sonata in D major, Op 17 - 2: Andante tranquillo (4:31)
11. Le Beau: Cello Sonata in D major, Op 17 - 3: Allegro vivace (5:53)
12. Wagner (E): Schir Zijon, Op 44 - 1: Kol Nidrei (5:18)
13. Nathan/Isserlis (S): Oh! weep for those (3:33)