KEY POINTS:
The Elgar Concerto has always had a special place in the repertoire of English cellist Natalie Clein as Aucklanders will no doubt experience when she plays it with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra tomorrow.
Clein was 16 when she won the BBC Musician of the Year with this work and, just last year, she recorded it with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Vernon Handley. She describes Handley as "a great Elgarian ... deeply passionate about every marking in the score".
"People say God is in the detail, don't they?" she adds.
Clein says her appreciation of the score has "evolved with my understanding of grief. I would say I understand the ending more, the very final page where there is this long outpouring of the deepest sadness".
She has glowing praise for cellists from Rostropovich and Du Pre through to Steven Isserlis, but when it comes to the Elgar Concerto, Clein picks out the 1927 recording of the work featuring cellist Beatrice Harrison, conducted by the composer himself.
"It's more personal," she explains. "It's really like speaking in a way that modern performances are not. It's not so much about powerhouse playing, but detail and genuine expression which I love."
And, as a piece of writing for instrument, the Concerto has no equals. "Elgar really captures the soul of the instrument. That's the reason it's so popular."
Friday's programme also includes Lilburn's Aotearoa Overture and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5, while Saturday's concert features the world premiere of A Tapestry of Life by Rautavaara and Mahler's First Symphony.
Clein is emphatic that she doesn't think of herself as "a cello soloist going around doing 100 dates a year with various orchestras". She values her work in chamber ensembles and on the education front. She is fiercely committed to a project with a group of youngsters from Hackney, funded by what she describes as "regeneration money for the Olympics". Eventually, the 50 players will accompany her in a concerto written by Matthew King.
"These are not the musicians of the future," as she puts it. "These are the audiences of the future."
What does Clein look for in her audiences? "Openness of mind and heart," is her immediate response. "A feeling that they are ready to be taken on a journey and a sense of calm concentration."
Venues play their part and she recalls how she played solo Bach in a 14th century crypt in Canterbury Cathedral with about 300 people listening. "It was dark and the acoustics were ringing through this ancient stone. Suddenly Bach seemed so young and I felt so insignificant."
Clein is also keen on the music of today. In June, she will premiere a new work by Shiva Feshareki that has her in duet with a DJ spinning the turntables.
"It's a contemporary piece of classical music; a comment on the world we live in and its youth culture. We are still working on it and, timing wise, it's challenging. Shiva's hearing everything on her headphones before it comes out, trying to cue certain records. It's complicated; a mathematical undertaking on a huge scale but worth it because it is so effective."
We could talk of her admiration for Billy Joel and Sting - in May she will feature alongside them in a Carnegie Hall Rainforest Benefit concert - but it is time for another rehearsal with Pietari Inkinen and the NZSO.
"The orchestra are wonderful, so welcoming and they have got a beautiful sound," she enthuses. "I am very excited to have lots of concerts as usually you fly in and fly out, making it quite a superficial affair. But this time there is really going to be a chance to look more in depth as the weeks go on."
What: The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, with Natalie Clein
Where and when: Auckland Town Hall, Fri 6.30pm & Sat 8pm
