Concertgebouworkest, Altstaedt & Weilerstein: the cello takes centre stage

Alisa Weilerstein and Nicolas Altstaedt

The composer–conductor Matthias Pintscher conducts a programme that puts the cello centre stage. In his extremely subtle un despertar (‘an awakening’, its title taken from the poem by Octavio Paz), cellist Alisa Weilerstein performs as soloist. Nicolas Altstaedt is the soloist in Liza Lim’s brand-new A Sutured World. Henri Dutilleux gave pride of place to the cello section, and the beautifully submerged orchestral sound is reminiscent of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night. The final work on the programme is a twentieth-century gem. In Ligeti’s San Francisco Polyphony, the fog slowly lifts, gradually allowing instrumental colours and melodies to stand out.

Cello Biënnale Amsterdam

The Concertgebouw Orchestra is performing this unique programme not only at the Concertgebouw, but also for the first time at two major Dutch music festivals – the Cello Biënnale Amsterdam and November Music in ’s-Hertogenbosch.