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Steven Isserlis
Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010
English - December 02, 2007 11:15 - 35 minutes - 32.1 MB - ★★★★★ - 126 ratingsPersonal Journals Society & Culture interview entrepreneurship business health entrepreneur leadership comedy news politics culture Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the cellist Steven Isserlis. It is, perhaps, little surprise that music has been central to his life. He was born into a family that already boasted a pianist, violinist and viola player within its ranks and so, as a child, he was taught the cello because it meant they could play chamber music together. Music was so much a part of their lives, he says, that even the pet dog would howl along an accompaniment as they played.
He was seen as a brilliant young cellist but he was determined not to become a jobbing musician, touting for work in different orchestras, and as a result he suffered nearly a decade with precious few musical engagements. It was The Protecting Veil - a composition by John Tavener - that made his name and now he has become one of the world's finest cello virtuosos.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: Erbarme Dich - Have Mercy Lord on Me by Johann Sebastian Bach
Book: The collected works by Anthony Trollope
Luxury: A huge, huge photo album of friends.