In Another Life: Steven Isserlis on his passion for literature

By Hannah Nepilova

Steven Isserlis loves a good story. As one of the world’s most renowned cellists, he infuses every performance with a powerful sense of narrative drama—not only through sound, but also through facial expressions and the occasional toss of his thick, curly hair. “Music, for me, is a series of stories,” he says, speaking to me over a video call. “When I’m teaching a piece, I’ll often tell people they have to be storytellers, not cellists.”

Perhaps, then, it’s not surprising that when he isn’t practising or performing, the British cellist is likely to be found with his nose in a book. Not just any book, mind you…

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Steven Isserlis gives a recital of Czech music at Wigmore Hall on November 29th. For tickets, click here

To find out more about Steven Isserlis’s books for children, click here.