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INTERVIEWCellist Pieter Wispelwey to present all Schubert pieces

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Renowned cellist Pieter Wispelwey will present an
Renowned cellist Pieter Wispelwey will present an "all Schubert" cello recital to Korean audiences on Sept. 23-24 in Gyeongju and Seoul. Courtesy of CREDIA

By Anna J. Park

Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey returns to Korea after five years to present Schubert recitals this autumn.

Wispelwey, with pianist Paolo Giacometti, will hold two concerts ― on Sept. 23 at the Gyeongju Arts Center in North Gyeongsang Province and on Sept. 24 at the Seoul Arts Center.

It will be his first recital in Korea since 2014 when he performed all the Beethoven cello sonatas. In 2012 Wispelwey played Bach's "Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello." This time, he has chosen Schubert's works.

During a recent email interview with The Korea Times, Wispelwey said he chose Schubert for his concerts here because the works are "too beautiful not to touch."

"The reasons are very simple; all this repertoire sounds good on the cello and is far too beautiful not to touch," the globe-trotting cellist said.

Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey is returning to Korea after five years. Courtesy of CREDIA
Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey is returning to Korea after five years. Courtesy of CREDIA

Wispelwey said he had fond memories of his last concert in Seoul, when he played the Beethoven sonatas with pianist Alasdair Beatson. He emphasized that audiences will have another musical adventure at his upcoming concerts.

"It was another marathon: all the Beethoven sonatas with the genial Alasdair Beatson," Wispelwey said. "The big recitals at the Seoul Arts Center always have been highlights in my career. This last one I remember fondly because of the combination of the large audience in that large space, the formidable, expansive and profound music and the energy and inspiration I found in the collaboration with Alasdair.

"The upcoming concert with Paolo Giacometti also evokes early 19th century Vienna, but this time it's through the eyes and ears of Schubert. On top of that, there is the adventure of the pieces we play ― which the audience will never have heard performed on cello. I suppose adventure is the key word to describe what I hope the audience will experience."

Among the various Schubert works, Wispelwey had to make hard decisions of what to play in Seoul. He will present Schubert's "Arpeggione Sonata A minor, D.821," "Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major, 'Duo,' D.574," "Fantasy for Violin and Piano in C major, D.934," and "Introduction and Variations on 'Trockne Blumen' for Flute and Piano, D.802." As seen from the list, Wispelwey will perform some works Schubert wrote for other instruments like the violin and the flute as cello pieces.

"The Arpeggione had to be part of the choice," Wispelwey said. "Then the A-major Duo is so pure and beautiful that it had to be in the program. The Fantasy, a late, super-dramatic work is one of my all-time favorites and the Variations is maybe the biggest surprise: spectacular and entertaining. So two sonatas and two alternative forms should make a diverse and rich program.

"There are two sonatas in this program. The famous Arpeggione sonata starts the second half and the lovely A-major Duo the first; with that spectacular opening melody which works so well on cello and sets the mood for the concert.

"The second piece is the unique Fantasy, with all its splendor, drama, profundity and virtuosity. The concert finishes with the Flute Variations: unheard acrobatics and lots of emotion and lyrical elegance. Interesting detail is maybe that not only are the Flute Variations on a melody from one of Schubert's own songs, the same is true for the middle movement of the Fantasy: also variations on a song melody by himself."
Cellist Pieter Wispelwey /Courtesy of CREDIA
Cellist Pieter Wispelwey /Courtesy of CREDIA

Besides giving recitals around the world, Wispelwey is also active in recording projects. So far he has released more than 20 albums, including many award-winning CDs.

Since 2015, he has worked on a five-set CD collection, recording the complete duo repertoires by Brahms and Schubert. The duo works include the composers' pieces written for other instruments, such as the violin and the clarinet, which Wispelwey arranged for the cello and recorded with Giacometti.

The project ended early this year and all the CDs are available. Wispelwey and Giacometti were awarded the prestigious Brahms Prize 2019 by the Schleswig Holstein Brahms Society for the project.

"It was a great inspiration to dedicate so much energy to creating a style of playing that was as natural as possible, making the cello sound as the best instrument for all that repertoire," Wispelwey said.



Park Ji-won annajpark@koreatimes.co.kr


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