Steven Isserlis at 60: the birthday interview

By Stephen Pritchard, 12 December 2018

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“Often the people who are rude about Schumann also don’t understand Fauré”

Lawrence Dunn, 15th January

The young Belgian conductor has had a long association with the Flanders Symphony – and this January he takes the chief’s baton from departing Kristiina Poska, who reaffirmed the orchestra’s crisp, classical sound.

The magical world of composers’ handwriting

Lawrence Dunn, 17th December

From Buxtehude, Bach and Handel, to contemporary composer Liza Lim, we take a tour of the myriad forms of composers’ handwriting and calligraphy – and how music makes itself on the page.

Gaining entry to Schumann’s Paradise and the Peri

Eleanor Knight, 5th March

Simon Rattle called Robert Schumann’s strange, Orientalist oratorio “the greatest masterpiece you’ve never heard of”. We discover this enigmatic piece ahead of Insula orchestra’s production at La Seine Musicale.

Making music humanly: Gautier Capuçon

Charlotte Gardner, 7th February

Ahead of an appearance in Lugano in March, the busy French cellist talks about his relationships with Martha Argerich, his brother Renaud, and mentoring young musicians with the Fondation Gautier Capuçon.

All in the balance: Classical Music Statistics 2024

Bachtrack, 27th January

What changes did the classical music world see in 2024? Are existing trends continuing, or slowing? With more than 30,000 listings across 48 countries, Bachtrack offers a valuable snapshot into the classical music world.

Under the influence of Daniil Shafran: Steven Isserlis on Kabalevsky

Mark Pullinger, 16th October

Ahead of a performance Kabalevsky’s Second Cello Concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the British cellist talks about one of his longstanding cello heroes, Daniil Shafran, who premiered the work.

Stephen Pritchard

Stephen Pritchard began singing as a treble at the age of eight and progressed to become a tenor in Portsmouth Cathedral Choir, the Gibbons Consort and now the English Chamber Choir. Writing about music has been at the core of his 40-year career in journalism, chiefly at the Observer. He has been known to play a pretty mean jazz double bass.

Steven Isserlis at 60: still innovating, still inspiring... and still terrified