Alisa Weilerstein is streaming one movement of the Bach cello suites a day, just as she has released a polished studio recording of them. Violinist Livia Sohn, pianist Inon Barnatan, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and violist Barry Shiffman (not pictured) dig into the the Gypsy-influenced Piano Quartet, Op. Is it always about reaching for some higher goal? My management was very careful to get me as much experience as I needed without overexposing me or taking over my life. Alisa Weilerstein is an American cellist who started playing the cello at a young age. February 16, 2012 Positioned above a tank full of stingrays at the National Aquarium, Weilerstein used her cello to serenade sea creatures (and many pleasantly surprised visitors) with music by Johann Sebastian Bach. For cellist Alisa Weilerstein as for all of us life in 2021 involves a lot of rescheduling. Because its hard enough, even when you love it. I just want to have a kind of outpouring of music, of thoughts, and everything else, she told The New York Times then. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. But Weilerstein thinks of it not as a new approach to Bach, she said, rather a celebration of the really disparate voices in contemporary classical music, with Bach as a common reference point. All Rights Reserved. The goal is always to know these scores better, to truly live with the great masterworkslike the Bach Suites, for example. Weilerstein's artistry comes naturally. Alisa Weilerstein on What It Means to Be a Classical Musician Gerardo Antonio Sanchez Torres/courtesy of the artist March 24, 2023 When the cellist Alisa Weilerstein found herself cooped up with her family at the start of the pandemic, her first instinct, like that of so many classical Conversation Alisa Weilerstein on what it means to be a classical musician Music , Beginnings, Collaboration, Process From a conversation with T. Cole Rachel April 19, For aspiring classical musicians, what kind of advice can you offer other than practice, practice, practice? Certain aspects of it may be familiar. Then you come back to it with a new and fresh perspective. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Im always juggling a lot of repertoire at the same time, which requires a lot of rehearsal. There Will Be Blood. When did you come here as a cello student? The 27 who agreed including Tania Len, Joan Tower, Carlos Simon and Daniel Kidane make up a roster that is remarkably diverse demographically and stylistically, but almost all of them asked if they should write with specific reference to Bach, Weilerstein recalled. I came to Aspen, I think, for 16 summers of my first 18 years of life, so I spent a lot of my formative years here, so it really feels like another home to me. Alisa Weilerstein has won the MacArthur Foundation "genius grant." Cello virtuoso Alisa Weilerstein is always at the head of her class. Jamie Jung For anyone in the classical music world, being able to expose other people to these great works is always something you hope to do. An authority on Bachs music for unaccompanied cello, Weilerstein recently released a best-selling recording of his solo suites on the Pentatone label, streamed them in her innovative #36DaysOfBach project, and deconstructed his beloved G-major prelude in a Vox.com video, viewed almost 1.5 million times. How did you feel about that at the time? Veterans Pension Benefits (Aid & Attendance). Her father, Donald, was the longtime first violinist with the fine Cleveland Quartet, and her mother, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, is an equally well-regarded pianist. Some did, she said, and some very much did not.. Music is about communication. Mito Habe-Evans/NPR Alex Irvin / Courtesy Aspen Music Festival and School. Adagio (Con gran espressione) 12:35 3. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein. Im constantly trying to budget my time properly so that I have enough time and head space to really work on the things that I need to do in a practical sense, but also grow as an artist. Alisa Weilerstein is one of the foremost cellists of our time. She collaborated with conductor Daniel Barenboim, whose late wife, Jacqueline du Pre, was the standard-bearer for this work. Entertainment & Arts. In that sense, theres no substitute for time away. Im going to give you a similar answer to what I would say about the label of prodigy. Of course, these labels are flattering. Alisa Weilerstein: From Bach To The Backstreets Of Buenos Aires. December 22, 2012 The albums that sum up our year span genres and borders. WebMini Bio (1) Alisa Weilerstein is known for If I Stay (2014), P.O.V. The helpful thing is that a lot of repertoires that I have to play are repertoires that Ive done before. You made your professional debut at the age of 13 and were often referred to as a child prodigy. Its a balance we have to strive forto protect what the composer intended, yet keep the music alive so it doesnt become a museum piece, or simply an archive. Well, something that Im trying to do more of is simply being mindful to get enough exercise and to do good stretches. Cello virtuoso Alisa Weilerstein is always When she finally forced herself to play again, she found herself staring out of the window, wondering what her field might look like when, or if, performers returned to the stage. For example, as recently as November, Weilerstein still planned to perform the complete Bach suites for cello in Santa Barbara in April of 2021. I was never subjected to abuse or was made to practice 10 hours a day while locked up. Theres a lot of things that classical music does uniquely well, and its important to preserve those things, Weilerstein said. FC: So you were just an infant-in-arms for a while, and you started playing cello when you were four. It gives you a totally new tool. WEILERSTEIN HAS NEVER had the reputation of being a new-music specialist, but she has given her fair share of premieres, and few of her colleagues on the international circuit can list anything so bold as her recording of Elliott Carters Cello Concerto on their discographies. September 23, 2011 A "genius" cellist, more protesting letters from London, Iraqi musicians go to Germany, and dreams of "comfort sounds" series: All the news that's fit to link. Meet Fragments, a project whose first installment of six Weilerstein will perform at Zankel Hall on April 1. Law Firm Website Design by Law Promo, What Clients Say About Working With Gretchen Kenney. For the first chapter of Alisa Weilerstein s groundbreaking project for solo cello, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall, J. S. Bachs First Cello Suite is woven together with new works, responsive lighting, and scenic architecture, inviting audiences into an immersive, multisensory experience. This is the philosophy behind the project, fundamentally: connecting the pieces, connecting the voices of our time together, connecting the familiar and the new, connecting this music with the audience without the barrier of so much contextualization, categorization, bias, all of these things., And connecting, she added, our contemporary world with the concert format. Alisa Weilerstein Gerardo Antonio Sanchez Torres/courtesy of the artist, Alisa Weilerstein Plays Elgar: Exploring Music With An Intense Past, Young Cellist With An Old Soul Plays Elgar, Elliott Carter, Alisa Weilerstein: Playing Bach With The Fishes, Around The Classical Internet: September 23, 2011, Cellist Alisa Weilerstein Among MacArthur Grant Winners, Alisa Weilerstein: From Bach To The Backstreets Of Buenos Aires, Band Of Gypsies: Haydn And Brahms At Spoleto Festival, Alisa Weilerstein: The Art Of Chopin's Cello. She lives with her husband, Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare, and their two young children. Luckily, I didnt ever have that fear. 1 888 842-9951. So to return to it was actually really wonderful, because I found all sorts of new things in it. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein plays Bach and Golijov at an NPR Tiny Desk Concert. hide caption. Most classical musicians regard his work as sacred in terms of really abiding by exactly what he wrote, in terms of dynamic markings and tempi and that sort of thing. Theres this idea that we have a literal script in front of us. If theres a piece that Ive been playing over and over again, its very helpful to put it away for a while. When youre playing with someone new, do differences in interpretation ever cause problems? But this project is intended to reimagine what a cello recital can be, to challenge some of the conventions that Weilerstein thinks might inhibit a listeners immediate response to the music, and to add layers of theatricality to the arguably staid traditions of the concert hall, in an acceptance that a musician is, after all, performing on a stage. Labels are generally very, very unhelpful. You also have to deal with the traveling, which is very tough on the body. Do it for no other reason than that you love it and cant imagine doing anything else. The work is better as a result. The Law Office of Gretchen J. Kenney assists clients with Elder Law, including Long-Term Care Planning for Medi-Cal and Veterans Pension (Aid & Attendance) Benefits, Estate Planning, Probate, Trust Administration, and Conservatorships in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein, one of the newest MacArthur "geniuses." To everyones credit, I think, everyone is wrestling with this issue, Weilerstein said in a recent interview from Toronto. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Lifestyle. Jamie Jung/Courtesy of the artist Cellist Alisa Weilerstein, explaining her decision to retract an earlier promise not to play the pieces until she was older, says that the suites "present the player with infinite possibilities." She knew exactly what to do and what not to do with a young person. If there's such a thing as cello mojo, Alisa Weilerstein has it. Jamie Jung hide caption. Hablas espaol? Law Office of Gretchen J. Kenney is dedicated to offering families and individuals in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California, excellent legal services in the areas of Elder Law, Estate Planning, including Long-Term Care Planning, Probate/Trust Administration, and Conservatorships from our San Mateo, California office. What did she as a violin teacher have to offer you? like. Ive found that my happiest collaborations with conductors, where Im playing a concerto with them, have been times where you come together from very, very different places. Dont do it for anybody else. Her repertory is wide but has been marked by a focus on contemporary music. She lives with her husband, Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare, and their young child. Its about communicating ideas which are inexpressible in words. Without real love and doggedness and tenacity, its still nearly impossible. I had a real life. Its a nice challenge to have. Alisa Weilerstein (cello) Recorded: 2012-10-14 Recording Venue: Teldex Studio, Berlin 1. Do you even remember the first time you were here? Among these cookies, cookies classified as necessary are stored on your browser because they are essential for the functioning of the basic functionality of the website. } hide caption. Its filled with really, really good information. There will be limited program notes in advance, little to guide listeners except their ears and eyes through a collagelike narrative arc assembled from musical fragments. AW: No, because I was three months old. 1600 Saint-Urbain Street, Its familiar, theres such a child-like purity to it, says Weilerstein. Who are any of us next to Mozart? It didnt last. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein has announced on her Facebook page that she and her husband, the conductor Rafael Payare, are expecting their first child together. FC: You spent a lot of time at Aspen as a very young girl. If you have played these pieces many times, as I have, this is the sort of thing you crave. WebAlisa Weilerstein. fill: #000; She will perform a Bach suite in its entirety, and she will play it with her typical, heartfelt passion. Her Sarabandes are extraordinary, very slow (a lot of the high time total is racked up here) without being emotionally overwrought: they are deeply meditative. Its nice, and of course, its a great honor. November 6, 2012 Hear an excerpt of MacArthur "genius" cellist Alisa Weilerstein's excellent pairing of the Elgar Cello Concerto recorded with Daniel Barenboim, whose late wife Jacqueline Du Pre's name was synonymous with this piece and the cello concerto by Elliott Carter, who died yesterday at 103. Alisa Weilerstein | Opus 3 Artists We all had a lot of time to think about what it means to really connect with an audience, what it means to connect with each other, and an appreciation for being in one communal space.. Im still going to always try to improve as an artist and to be a more insightful interpreter. She and the cello seem simply to be one and the same, agrees the Los Angeles Times. I am traveling almost all the time. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of nine, Weilerstein is a staunch advocate for the T1D community. I was 14 when I went with my manager. Bach was not available for consultation, but she is subjecting his suites to the same treatment. Something I return to every so often is Kunderas The Book of Laughter and Forgetting. Earlier in their careers, Moya and Payare both played in the Simn Bolvar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, a country that has such an addiction to caffeine that it has a precise linguistic taxonomy for coffee and its functions. Alisa Weilerstein | The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Since making her professional and Carnegie Hall debuts in her early teens, she has been in high demand as a solo I have played it countless times, but there was actually a long period of time where I was not playing it, maybe five or six months. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. AW: Well he was just my dad to me, I mean, he wasn't this world famous violinist. I tend to say yes too often, but Im trying to get better at that. I do think, though, that we clearly have a problem, that we are not connecting with enough people, and that we are relying too much on our old models of presenting, especially when it comes to new music.. Since making her professional and Carnegie Hall debuts in her early teens, she has been in high demand as a solo recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist with leading orchestras worldwide. 2023 Orchestre symphonique de Montral. (1988) and When Alisa Met Elliott (2012). So you budget accordingly. Renown cellist will play three of Bach's 'Unaccompanied Cello For example, the Schumann concerto Ive played many times. May 27, 2011 A consummate artist even before she was out of her teens, 29-year-old Alisa Weilerstein has already been granted extraordinary opportunities, from Cecilia BartoliI love virtually everything she does. Free to write what he wanted, Moya drew on the personal ties that he has to Weilerstein through the conductor Rafael Payare, her husband. We were just working together, and I wanted to be a better musician and a better cellist. Everyone brings their perspective and insight into what the composer actually meant. The goal is always to know these scores better, to truly, The Creative Independent is ad-free and published by, Master Class (esk filharmonie / Czech Philharmonic), Rachmaninovs Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor. Alisa Weilersteins latest project is a series of staged solo recitals that weave Bachs cello suites with newly commissioned works. I also heard of other people of my generation being called a prodigy as if they were simply a precocious kid. hide caption. But if both of us are open to different orientations or interpretations, that can yield a really interesting interpretation and performance. A multisensory production for solo cello, the six-chapter series sees her weave together the 36 movements of Bachs solo cello suites with 27 new commissions. Brava, brava, brava! En Espaol. I also have a young daughter, who is 11 months old. Alisa Weilerstein - Solo Theres also something beautiful and important about presenting different composers side by side, and behind a curtain, so that youre not focusing on their name, or whether or not theyre Bach.. Monday to Friday: noon to 5 p.m. For reasons she cant explain, she was instantly attracted to the instrument as a small child. I always hated it when people would try to label me in any way. This means people can now refer to you as a genius in an official capacity. She will be there, playing solo. There are only a few weeks of the year when Im not on the road. Alisa Weilerstein is one of the foremost cellists of our time. Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until 30 minutes after the concert starts .st0{fill:#000;}. clip-path:url(#SVGID_2_); Shes the same manager I have now, 20 years later. Housing & Homelessness. She asked that the new pieces be about 10 minutes long, and that they come in two or three fragments that she could intersperse with other scores without violating the meaning of the music. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein. There are myriad reasons, of course, Weilerstein said, exploring the apparent divergence in the fields, but there is one very fundamental thing, which is, you walk into an exhibition, you see the painting or you see the work of art before anything, and it can hit you right where it needs to hit and then you can find out all the context around it. Nobody would say otherwise, but I try not to pay too much attention to that. courtesy of the artist She was awarded the MacArthur genius grant in 2011. One book I would recommend to anyone whos interested in music would be Alex Rosss The Rest Is Noise. Cello Suite No. I also always enjoyed playing for non-cellists in addition to cellists, because I always found they gave me great perspective and I grew up practicing with my father who was a great violinist, of course, and I was quite used to that. She started playing the cello at age four. Weilerstein was born in Rochester, New York. The work was co-commissioned with the Detroit Symphony; the Cleveland Orchestra, where Weilerstein performed it last fall; and the National Symphony, where she reprised it in May. 2023 Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. Business. Alisa Weilerstein - Orchestre symphonique de Montral There was a temptation to write something really virtuosic, really out there, really avant-garde, said Reinaldo Moya, one of the more junior composers in Weilersteins group, because youre not going to have the chance to work with a soloist of that caliber every time. WebAlisa Weilerstein is one of the foremost cellists of our time. The trio currently resides at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Her brother is the violinist and conductor Joshua Weilerstein (born in 1987). She is married to Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare. [5] Weilerstein has received a number of honors. Try typing something like "creative blocks", "spiral", "world", "green" or "blue" and our snail will find what you're looking for. Fragments is an attempt to fix a problem, Weilerstein said of relying too much on our old models of presenting, especially when it comes to new music.. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at nine years old, Weilerstein is a staunch advocate for the T1D community. Even when I was a very, sort of, unruly teenager, I still realized what he was telling me was good, so I took it (laughs). Human beings are far more complex. He was the muse for Shostakovich and Prokofiev, and he premiered over a thousand works over the course of his lifetime. I read a lot of books. The staging does offer some hints about the music, as if to hold the listeners hand. hide caption. Alisa Weilerstein - Biography - IMDb Today her career is truly global in scope, taking her to the most prestigious international venues for solo recitals, chamber concerts and concerto collaborations with all the preeminent conductors and orchestras worldwide. Everyone brings their perspective and insight into what the composer actually meant. Her brother is also a conductor and violinist. Thats a great advantage of playing these real masterworks, because theyre so rich in detail that you can always find something new, no matter how many times youve played them. hide caption. to a secular Jewish family. Alisa Weilerstein - IMDb Weilerstein recently premiered Joan Towers new cello concerto, A New Day, at the Colorado Music Festival. She was recognized with a MacArthur Fellowship in 2011. Concert evenings: noon to 8 p.m. What does the idea of creative freedom mean when youre a classical musician? These cookies do not store any personal information. Just making sure to get enough sleep, and to have enough space in between engagements, those are things Im not too good at. Its tricky, especially if its a composer like Beethoven, who was specific about what he wanted. I do that with great repertoires a lot. (1988) and When Alisa Met Elliott (2012). The other goal that I have is to try to help create a twenty-first century repertoire for the cello, much in the way that Rostropovich did in the twentieth century. Alisa Weilersteins new project, Fragments, comes to Zankel Hall on April 1. What do you think of as being the most important creative resources for doing what you do? He was Dad (laughs). Cellist Alisa Weilerstein. This is important for any musician. Image. I thought the connotations of being considered a prodigy implied living a very different life than the one I lived. Celebrity Series of Boston Shes collaborated with many artists over the years and performed at well-known venues and schools all over the world, as well as being a solo cellist. But again, you crave that kind of thing. However, even with a very specific composer like that, there is tremendous room for interpretation. Alisa Weilerstein & conductor Daniel Barenboim - Elgar & Carter Cello Concertos, Alisa Weilerstein: Master Class (esk filharmonie / Czech Philharmonic), Alisa Weilerstein and Inon Barnatan - Rachmaninovs Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Alisa Weilerstein plays Bachs Cello Suite No.3, Gigue. Dont do it for anybody else. She plays the suites in the sequence 1, 3, 6, 2, 4, 5, making the virtuosic and difficult Suite No. There is no end point. Yes, that is weird. WebAlisa Weilerstein is known for If I Stay (2014), P.O.V. For me, the greatest honor of the MacArthur Grant was that its something given not only to musicians, but also to scientists and writers. AW: No, she actually offered quite a lot of technical advice because - contrary to popular belief - the violin and the cello are really not that different, it's actually the same but just reversed. 15 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Cello Players Of All Time When the cellist Alisa Weilerstein found herself cooped up with her family at the start of the pandemic, her first instinct, like that of so many classical musicians, was to find some way any way to communicate. She is an ardent champion of contemporary music, and has premiered and championed important new works by composers including Pascal Dusapin, Osvaldo Golijov and Matthias Pintscher. An ardent proponent of contemporary music, she has also premiered and championed important new works by composers including Pascal Dusapin, Osvaldo Golijov and Matthias Pintscher. Weilerstein was born in Rochester, New York, on April 14, 1982. Thats something that Im really trying to do. To shed the Rorschach inclination towards finding meaning in the program before hearing the music was a really important piece of the puzzle, Pulitzer said. 2, BWV 1008, that begins the second part (the second CD for physical buyers) is then especially free and introductory in quality. At least I dont.. I think its a fantastic resource, and he writes so beautifully. I havent played the Elgar in a long time. She also is active in chamber music and performs with her parents, violinist Donald Weilerstein (the founding first violinist of the Cleveland Quartet) and pianist Vivian December 4, 2012 The celebrated young American cellist walks us through her recording of this "devastating" concerto written just after the end of World War I. People might assume that a talent like yours must have been fostered at the expense of everything else. Since making her professional and Carnegie Hall debuts in her early teens, she has been in Known for her consummate artistry, emotional investment and rare interpretive depth, she was recognized with a MacArthur genius grant Fellowship in 2011. Its a balance we have to strive forto protect what the composer intended, yet keep the music alive so it doesnt become a museum piece, or simply an archive. This website uses cookies to improve your experience.