Renown cellist will play three of Bach's 'Unaccompanied Cello Suites' at Wharton Center
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Cello virtuoso Alisa Weilerstein will never forget her very first instrument. The brand name was Kellogg.
Growing up in a family of chamber musicians (father Don is a violinist; mother Vivian is a pianist, and younger brother Joshua is a violinist/conductor), she grew up with everyone playing an instrument.
“I thought every kid had a family like that,” she said.
At age 3 or so, she desperately wanted to play the cello. Her grandmother found a way to make that happen. She fashioned a Kellogg Rice Krispies box into a tiny cello with strings and a peg. The toddler sat with her family during rehearsals, trying to make music with her newly crafted cello.
“I never remember a time when I didn’t want to be a musician,” Weilerstein said. She not only wanted to be a musician, but she saw herself as a soloist, traveling around the world playing concerts – which is exactly what she is doing now.
She will perform at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts.
Weilerstein was born in Rochester, New York, but was raised in Cleveland, graduating from Cleveland Heights High School.
The young musician graduated to a real cello at age 4. “My first cello was a 1/16th size.” Let’s say a real miniature cello.
Today, Weilerstein, 40, has been mentioned as the heir to Yo-Yo Ma. She is an emotional interpreter of the classics as well as a champion of new music and chamber music. She has a busy international concert schedule, recently won the BBC Music’s Record of the Year award and won a MacArthur “genius” grant.
When she began her studies, her talent became very evident.
“I went through about five different teachers,” she said. Weilerstein soloed with the Cleveland Orchestra at age 13 (Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme”).
While Weilerstein was in high school, her afternoons were spent at the Cleveland Institute of Music practicing and taking cello lessons. She went on to receive a BA in Russian history from Columbia University.
Her concert at Wharton Center will feature maybe the greatest pieces ever written for a solo instrument, The Bach “Unaccompanied Cello Suites.”
Many soloists are now performing (as Weilerstein says) “marathons," concerts featuring the entire portfolio of a certain group of works. Her Wharton concert is not quite a marathon – all six Bach suites take about 2 ½ hours to play. Weilerstein will be performing suites 1, 3 and 5.
“It’s about 75 minutes of music – the most profound music that has ever been written," she said. "It’s a taxing experience to play them. It’s like taking journey through life. It goes from triumph to tragedy, yet it is exhilarating.”
For these suites, Weilerstein sits in front of the audience alone, without an accompanist or orchestra. It’s intense.
“I have a ritual that I follow before every concert," she said. "I arrive at the hall 1-1 ½ hours before the concert. I slowly dress and apply my makeup and do breathing exercises.
“When I’m playing, I can’t see the audience very well, but I sense the vibe. It’s very clear to me if they are really engaged in the music.”
If you want to hear all six Bach cello suites, Michigan State University cello professor Suren Bagratuni will be performing the entire Bach collection in March.
IF YOU GO
Alisa Weilerstein, Cello
Bach Cello Suites, 1,3, and 5
Wharton Center for Performing Arts,
7:30 p.m., Jan 26
Tickets from $21 at Wharton Center.com, 517 432-2000 or 1 800 WHARTON
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Renown cellist will play three of Bach's 'Unaccompanied Cello Suites'
