Invocation, H75 Op 19/2 (Holst) - from CDA68077 - Hyperion Records

Reviews

‘All in all, Isserlis’s is the most trenchant and tasteful account of the Elgar to have come my way since Paul Watkins’s with Andrew Davis and the BBC Philharmonic … an unmissable release’ (Gramophone)

‘This is a lovely disc, one to head my list of Christmas presents for musical friends’ (Gramophone)

‘Steven Isserlis's eagerly anticipated return to Elgar's autumnal masterpiece captivates in its unexaggerated depth of feeling, suppleness of expression, tingling spontaneity and beaming fantasy. He receives scrupulously sympathetic support from the Philharmonia under Paavo Järvi. Enticing couplings, too—Walton's Concerto and Holst's seductive ‘Invocation’ both enjoying gloriously trenchant advocacy’ (Gramophone)

‘It's no surprise, perhaps, that Steven Isserlis's latest reading of the Elgar concerto should be special: this is a long-loved, lived-in interpretation in which every superfluity has been scoured away leaving only an extraordinarily pure line of expression’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

PERFORMANCE

RECORDING

‘Isserlis’s cello rages against the dying of the light, sounding angry yet still beautiful’ (The Guardian)» More

‘This is one of the most satisfying recordings this now much loved work has received. Isserlis’s admiration for the piece is conveyed, not just in his playing, with the Philharmonia under Paavo Järvi, but also in a vigorous liner note, which makes much of the fiasco of the first performance’ (Classic FM)» More

‘Isserlis’s playing of the solo part in the Elgar evokes an elegy for a lost world, while he captures perfectly the bittersweet languor of the Walton’ (The Sunday Times)» More

‘Returning to the piece more than 25 years after his first recording, Isserlis is a little brisker this time in the last two movements, and digs a bit deeper throughout … he wears his heart on his sleeve in his playing’ (Daily Mail)» More

‘Isserlis is no less expressive in Walton’s late, bittersweet Concerto, his playing marked by a measured maturity that delves deep into the crepuscular introspection of the outer movements and revels in the Indian Summer exhilaration of the central scherzo’ (Classical Ear)» More

‘No praise can be too high for Isserlis’s splendid playing, eloquent without being indulgent and technically always in complete command’ (MusicWeb International)

‘These performances should be heard, there are few—if any—cellists alive today who could match Isserlis’s masterful playing in these works’ (Audiophile)» More

‘A superb and generous collection of the very best of English cello music’ (The New Zealand Herald)» More

‘Isserlis gives a deeply touching account, the sort that restores faith in a too-often-performed work, here reclaimed as the masterpiece that it is, personal and private … a release that can be recommended without reservation’ (Classical Source)» More

‘Full marks to Hyperion and, in particular, to Steven Isserlis for the unexpected and imaginative repertoire on this disc’ (Elgar Society)» More

«En concert Steven Isserlis agite sa crinière bouclée à hue et à dia, tirant son archet, comme un fleuret, quitte à perdre la musique. Il reste quelque chose de cette ardeur aussi généreuse que dangereuse dans son concerto d'Elgar, heureusement surveillé par la baguette impérieuse de Paavo Järvi. Les chants éperdus, les traits surprenants, les volte-face et ce vibrato passionné venu d'un autre âge agaceront les uns, mais réjouiront les autres» (Diapason, France)» More

«Steven Isserlis expurge la partition de sentiments pour en faire un grand moment de pure musique alors qu'a la tête d'un Philharmonia acéré et allégé, Paavo Järvi dynamique l'accompagnement orchestral. La musique d'Elgar sort dramatisée de cette lecture implacable et exemplaire par sa tension nerveuse» (Crescendo Magazine, Belgium)» More

„Eine absolut hinreißende, auch vom Orchester begeisternde Interpretation!“ (Pizzicato, Luxembourg)» More

„Steven Isserlis bietet hier wenig bekanntes Repertoire neben gängigen Werken—und wie immer mit feinem Sinn für Form und Klanggebung“ (Klassik.com, Germany)» More

PERFORMANCE

RECORDING

'Isserlis styrer Elgars musik I en skarp, superdetaljeret retning, hvor nærvær og energi kombineret med det svulmende forløser koncerten som en stram udladning med rødder hos romantikere som Dvořák' (Politiken, Denmark)» More

Invocation was written in 1911, at a time when Holst was involved with setting parts of the sacred Hindu script, the Rig Veda, teaching himself Sanskrit for the purpose; both thematically and emotionally, Invocation seems to be connected to this work. The four Vedas, of which the Rig Veda is the oldest, are the primary texts of Hinduism, consisting mostly of ‘simple hymns, ritual chants and invocations to fire, water, the sun and other manifested aspects of the One’. Invocation has a shimmering, mystical quality that is curiously evocative—exotic, and yet somehow, perhaps because of its calmly modal language, unmistakably English.

Invocation fut composée en 1911, à une époque où Holst mettait en musique des extraits de l’hymnaire sacré hindou, le Rig Veda, apprenant seul le sanskrit dans ce but; sur le plan thématique comme sur le plan émotionnel, Invocation semble liée à cette œuvre. Les quatre Vedas, dont le Rig Veda est le plus ancien, sont les premiers textes de l’hindouisme, composés en majeure partie d’«hymnes simples, de chants rituels et d’invocations au feu, à l’eau, au soleil et à d’autres aspects manifestés de l’Un». Invocation a une qualité mystique vibrante curieusement évocatrice—exotique et pourtant, peut-être à cause de son langage calmement modal, indubitablement anglaise.

Invocation entstand 1911, als Holst den Rigveda (eine heilige hinduistische Schrift) vertonte und sich zu diesem Behufe Sanskrit beibrachte. Sowohl in thematischer als auch emotionaler Hinsicht scheint Invocation mit diesem Werk verbunden zu sein. Die vier Veden, von denen der Rigveda der älteste Teil ist, sind die wichtigsten Schriften des Hinduismus und bestehen zum größten Teil aus „schlichten Hymnen, Ritualgesängen und Anrufungen an das Feuer, Wasser, die Sonne und andere erklärte Aspekte des Einen“. Invocation hat eine schimmernde, mystische Eigenschaft, die einerseits etwas Exotisches an sich hat und andererseits, vielleicht aufgrund ihrer ruhig-modalen Klangsprache, unmissverständlich englisch klingt.

Recording details: November 2014
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Simon Eadon & Dave Rowell
Release date: March 2016
Total duration: 8 minutes 22 seconds

Cover artwork: Study of Westminster Bridge (1878). Giuseppe De Nittis (1846-1884)
Mondadori Portfolio / Bridgeman Images

Invocation, H75 Op 19/2

Steven Isserlis (cello), Philharmonia Orchestra, Paavo Järvi (conductor)

Reviews

Introduction