Steven Isserlis

I’m often asked how I go about learning a new piece; so I thought I’d try to set down – more groping around in the dark than ranting this time – my way of doing so. I actually hate the process of note-learning. Read more…

Still reeling from the sad news of the death of this beloved figure, I thought I’d set down a few personal recollections. Of course I grew up knowing his name; and of course, like almost everyone else, I assumed for some time that he was a woman. Read more…

I have just finished my annual stint of teaching in Cornwall, and as so often have encountered a wonderfully idealistic group of young musicians in all the classes at the seminar. What I found perhaps most satisfying was the serious (though joyous) enthusiasm for chamber music shared by all the players. Read more…

Today’s little rant has actually been prompted by something positive. I have been in the US for a bit, where I have given a couple of classes; at both, I was struck by how supportive the atmosphere was among the students, each new masterclass victim coming onstage to waves of warm enthusiasm from their fellow-students. Read more…

Now, I realise that I wrote a post on this subject last year, and I don’t want to repeat myself too much (because it’s a sign of age); Read more…

One of the more enjoyable aspects of being a musician is that one gets to travel to so many different and vibrant cities. Read more…

“Fruhling? As in ‘Spring’? No, I’ve never heard of him.’ How many times, I wonder, have I heard that reply in answer to my eager question to virtually anyone I have met over the past few years who might know anything whatsoever about late 19th/ early 20th century Vienna? Read more…

It seems that, thanks to various competitions and their related videos, over the past few months several violinists and other instrumentalists (but mostly violinists) aged about 11 or 12 have been given a lot of prominence. Read more…

I’ve recently been playing Haydn’s D major cello concerto, a piece that is full of virtuoso demands – but equally full of jokes. Read more…

(Not my first rant on the subject, I know – and probably not my last!) Read more…