Cello Biënnale Amsterdam: Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and Steven Isserlis

The Second Cello Concerto by Camille Saint-Saëns has never before been performed at the Cello Biennale. But maverick cellist Steven Isserlis has always championed lesser-known and rarely performed repertoire. It is partly for this reason, and for his indispensable educational work, that he will receive the Anner Bijlsma Award. Maurice Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello , by contrast, is widely regarded as a recognised masterpiece.

Anner Bijlsma Award for Steven Isserlis

French-Belarusian cellist Ivan Karizna made a great impression at the previous Biennale with Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto . This time, he performs Weinberg’s Concertino for cello and strings, written in 1948, which remained in the composer’s cupboard for years and was only rediscovered in 2016. Alexander Glazunov’s Chant du Ménestrel has captured the imagination and is, not without reason, one of the most popular recital pieces for cello.

Performers

Ivan Karizna cello
Steven Isserlis cello
Irene Duval violin
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra
Gordan Nikolić musical direction, violin

On 6 November, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra will also perform a programme with Steven Isserlis at PHIL Haarlem: