Steven Isserlis Swaps Cello for Editor’s Visor at The Strad

The leading cellist Steven Isserlis has been honing his literary credentials for some time. He has written books (including the amusingly-titled Why Handel Waggled His Wig) and articles (for Gramophoneand elsewhere), and now he takes the editor's chair for magazine--at any rate, the guest editor's chair. Having a famous guest editor is of course a time-honored tradition in magazine publishing; until recently, Gramophonedid it annually for their Proms issues, Lang Lang, Stephen Hough and Nicola Benedetti among their guests. And it can, when done properly, give a fascinating insight into said star's artistic outlook.

The Strad's October 2013 issue looks to have been approached very thoroughly by the great cellist. The theme is favorite string players of the past, and the issue features Mitsuko Uchida on Szigeti, Thomas Zehetmeir on Kreisler, Joshua Bell on Ysaye, actor Simon Callow on Huberman, Ivry Gitlis on Enescu, Andras Schiff on Casals and David Cairns on the Busch Quartet. Isserlis, himself, contributes a piece on Jacques Thibaud. And his co-teacher John Gwilt remembers Isserlis's other teacher, Jane Cowan.

Isserlis is, incidentally, the fourth cellist The Strad has featured as its main artist this year, the others being Raphael Wallfisch, Rostropovich and Alisa Weilerstein. Yet, Isserlis is the only one of those not to have his photograph on the cover--as ever, he remains a musician of singular distinction!