Cellist Steven Isserlis joins pianist Roman Rabinovich for an intimate recital performance.
Program
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Seven Variations on a theme from ‘The Magic Flute’, WoO46
ANDRÉ MESSAGER: Barcarolle
GABRIEL FAURÉ: Élégie in C minor, Op. 24
JOHN TAVENER: Thrinos for solo cello
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor
Program is subject to change
About the Artists
Steven Isserlis
British cellist Steven Isserlis CBE enjoys an international career as a soloist, chamber musician, author, educator, and broadcaster. Equally at home in music from baroque to the present day, he performs with the world’s greatest orchestras, including period ensembles, and has given many world premieres, including Sir John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil, Thomas Adès’s Lieux retrouvés, four works for solo cello by György Kurtág, and pieces by Heinz Holliger, Jörg Widmann, Olli Mustonen, Mikhail Pletnev and many others.
His vast award-winning discography includes most of the cello repertoire, including the JS Bach suites (Gramophone Instrumental Album of the Year), Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano, and the Brahms double concerto with Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. He has received two Grammy nominations, for his recordings of Haydn’s cello concertos, and Martinů’s cello sonatas with Olli Mustonen. Premiere recordings include late works by Sir John Tavener (BBC Music magazine Premiere Award). His latest recordings, Mendelssohn Piano Trios with Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk, and Boccherini Cello Concertos, Sonatas & Quintets, were released in 2024.
As an author, his latest book is a critically acclaimed companion to the Bach cello suites, while his two books for children about music are among the genre’s most popular ever written and have been translated into many languages. He has also authored a commentary on Schumann’s famous Advice for Young Musicians. As a broadcaster, he has written and presented two in-depth documentaries for BBC Radio, on Robert Schumann and Harpo Marx.
An insightful musical explorer and curator, he has programmed imaginative series for London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s 92nd St Y, and the Salzburg Festival. Unusually, he also directs orchestras from the cello, including Luzerner Sinfonieorchester in 2019 with Radu Lupu in his final public performance.
He was awarded a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998, in recognition of his services to music. International recognition includes the Piatigorsky Prize (USA) and the Glashütte Original Music Festival Award (Germany). Since 1997, he has been Artistic Director of the International Musicians Seminar, Prussia Cove, Cornwall.
He plays the 1726 ‘Marquis de Corberon’ Stradivarius, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.
Roman Rabinovich
Hailed for his "uncommon sensitivity and feeling" (The New York Times), Roman Rabinovich is a pianist of profound musical insight, celebrated for interpretations that combine technical brilliance with bold artistic personality. Winner of the 12th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, he has appeared on major stages across Europe and the U.S.
He has garnered acclaim for concerto performances collaborating with leading orchestras and conductors worldwide, including the Israel Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Prague Symphony, KBS Symphony, and all major Israeli orchestras. In North America, he has appeared with the Seattle Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, and Edmonton Symphony.
2026-27 season include concerto performances with Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Jacksonville Symphony, Sheboygan Symphony, Mississauga Symphony, Harmonium of Texas and Idaho Falls Symphony.
In the 2027–28 season, Rabinovich will embark on a complete cycle of Beethoven's piano sonatas, with full cycles in the US, Canada, and Israel. His recital repertoire spans six centuries, from Byrd to Boulez, with a recent focus on Bach's Goldberg Variations. His recital for Mezzo was televised to 39 countries, reaching millions of viewers.
An avid chamber musician, he has appeared at major festivals including Marlboro, La Jolla SummerFest, Klavier Festival Ruhr, Lucerne, Davos, Prague Spring, Dvorak Prague and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Born in Tashkent and raised in Israel, Rabinovich debuted with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta at age 10. A graduate of the Curtis Institute (Seymour Lipkin) and Juilliard (Robert McDonald), he was among the first three pianists selected by Sir András Schiff for his Building Bridges series. He is co-artistic director of ChamberFest Cleveland and ChamberFest West in Calgary, creating adventurous programs that spark conversation, foster connection, and enrich the communal experience of music.