“Be idealistic!”

His trademark hairstyle emphasises his dynamic movements, but there is no hint of theatricality: his gaze reflecting maximum attention on the musical material and his partners tells all. Perhaps this sincere attention is the key to why Isserlis has a far from common circle of acquaintances: Joshua Bell, András Schiff, Thomas Adès and of course Dénes Várjon and Izabella Simon, to name just a few with whom he maintains a relationship beyond the concert podium.

Steven Isserlis (Photo: Liszt Academy / Balázs Mohai)

- The cello has been your partner your entire life and you have had a close acquaintance with such aristocratic instruments as the Marquis de Coberon Stradivari. What is about the cello that gives more than the other string instruments?

- For me of course the sound of the cello is the most beautiful – it is much closer to the human voice than the violin. But the violin is certainly louder, there is no denying that – unless, that is, we devote huge energy in making the cello sound like a trombone, which is definitely not the area of cello playing that I am interested in. Quite the opposite: I play most works on gut strings, except for few works such as the concertos of Shostakovich and Prokofiev. I'd like to dispel the false belief that there are lots of problems with gut strings - I don't have to tune my cello more than once a day. But to fulfil the sonority of my instrument, I need the right partners, of course. From this point of view, there is no difference between a recital with a piano and a concerto with orchestra. A piano can also be incredibly loud, louder than an orchestra. The balanced sonority is not a question of magic; it is there in the score. If we mutually ensure that the textures of the work can be followed, and appear transparently, then there should be no problems with balance. From this it follows that the soloist also has to subordinate himself to the musical texture. If I take over the theme from the clarinet, for instance, then it can't be my aim to over-shine it. It is always a case of equal partners.

- You stated before that you regard yourself primarily as a chamber musician and that you interpret every genre from this perspective.

- Yes, that's true. Without a sense of dialogue there is no sense in making music. If I play a concerto, for me that too is chamber music, an interaction with the orchestra and with the conductor. It is not my aim to tour the world with a pre-packaged production. I don't know where the pleasure would be in that. For me, enjoyment means that I can make music with my friends. I am in the lucky situation that if I have an idea for a concert, there are people I can perform it with, and I can also find the place. For example the Wigmore Hall is always open to my ideas. And that's why I enjoy planning series devoted to one composer or period. I enjoy it from a musical point of view, but also from a social standpoint. Many of these musicians, such as Joshua, Dénes, Izabella, and others, are among my closest friends.

- What will you and Dénes Várjon be performing at your chamber concert in December?

- Ernest Bloch's From Jewish Life is a very moving work – simple but profound. There's some Schumann – of course; I can't live without him! Also I'm carrying on my old mission with Fauré's Sonata for cello and piano in D minor. It is surprising to me that Hungarian musicians don't seem to know Fauré at all, and I'm always trying to convince my friend András Schiff to discover him for himself. Fauré is an unfairly neglected composer whose chamber music is just as important as Schumann's. I love Kurtág's music – as well as the man himself – and I am regularly in touch with him by phone.
 

Steven Isserlis (Photo: Jean-Baptiste Millot)

- Of your Hungarian affiliations, Sándor Végh particularly stands out. How did you meet him?

- I was only sixteen when I first participated in the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove in Cornwall, a master class and chamber music festival which Sándor Végh founded. I would hardly have imagined that I would ever become the artistic director of this initiative – especially during the three years or so when I was banned from the place, for bad behaviour – ahem – but I am very happy that I have. The place has a marvellous atmosphere. I really love to spend a few weeks there every year, thinking and talking purely about music. I am glad that Sándor Végh's ideas live on there: they are the common thread linking all our highly varied professors such as András Schiff, Thomas Adès, Ferenc Rados, Rita Wagner and András Keller. Besides the festival, your life is primarily shaped by concert tours. And yet you make no secret that you are still nervous before concerts. Yes, mainly I am afraid of memory lapses which unfortunately can happen any time. In chamber music, luckily, this does not happen because I have the music in front of me. But when I have to play from memory, the knowledge that I have given several hundred concerts without problem certainly helps. An established routine and foresight also helps. For example, before an important concert I never go to bed at four in the morning! And I hope for the best. On the other hand, there are positive sides to my stage nerves; it means that I never lapse into a routine. I can never allow my attention to be anything other than a hundred per cent, and that keeps me fresh.

- What advice would you give to Liszt Academy students for a successful career?

- Don't concentrate on your career but on the music! My artistic career didn't start thanks to competition results – I don't think much of them – but on the basis of recommendations from other musicians. I like that. But it wasn't easy – I didn't really start to play regularly in different countries until I was about thirty. These days I fear that many musicians concentrate too much on their career rather than their art – but perhaps this was always the case. What other message can I send in the land of Leó Weiner, Ferenc Rados, György Kurtág and Sándor Végh than: be idealistic!

Interview by Péter Lorenz originally published in the Fall 2014 issue of Liszt Academy Concert Magazine.