HKAPA Amphitheatre, Tuesday October 18

British cellist Steven Isserlis once mentioned in an interview that, “You get musicians who are ‘character actors’, who change with each work they play; and then you get the stars, who are always recognisable no matter what character they play… I would like to be a character actor…” For the opening of Premiere Performances of Hong Kong’s 5th season, Isserlis designed a varied programme that showcased different characters both in temperament and period. Each part featured two composers with works that are more or less a hundred years apart.

Joined by Taiwanese-American pianist Ya-Fei Chuang, the concert opened with Saint-Saens’ Cello Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 32. Despite being an excellent ensemble player with clean technique, the immediate impression was that the piano lacked presence; and this was also observed in Beethoven after the interval. Balance aside, the cello and piano superbly displayed a dramatic account of the sonata. For Britten’s Solo Cello Suite No. 3, Op.87, Isserlis brought a riveting combination of technique and lyricism to the composer’s uncompromising piece, taking the audience along on a journey of discovery.

In Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 4 in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1, Isserlis was perfectly in character not to overly romanticise the composer’s noble lines; and together with the piano, was able to provide architectural tension true to the form of the music. The recital reached its climax in Shostakovich’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Op. 40, despite a ringing phone left unanswered for quite sometime. With heavy breathing, body swaying and feet tapping, Isserlis gave a very impressive reading. The playing from the duo was expansive and tonally wide-ranging without sounding self-indulgent.

Isserlis (in his very personable way) gave an encore not without a condition that no more phones shall ring. Schubert’s Nacht und Traume (Night and Dreams) for cello and piano was the perfect nightcap to an evening with THE consummate Steven Isserlis.