Gabriel Schwabe: My Top Five Cello Heroes

Emanuel Feuermann – Dvořák: Cello Concerto op. 104, Staatskapelle Berlin, Michael Taube

Emanuel Feuermann is to me for the cello what Heifetz was for the violin – a figure of almost mythical proportions, personified instrumental perfection. But, as polished as his playing was, it always remained deeply human and therefore touching in a very immediate way. One of the things I admire most about Feuermann is – besides his singing tone and sophisticated technique – the simplicity in his playing. Everything is expressive without ever becoming sentimental and where decades of performances have left a beaten track of "interpretative tradition" in a piece like the Dvořák concerto, his approach sounds as fresh as it is straightforward. The fast tempi give his rendition a sense of urgency while Feuermann’s unmistakable sound and portamenti add a unique charm.

Leonard Rose – Lalo: Cello Concerto in D minor, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy

To me, Leonard Rose is one of the most widely under-appreciated cellists nowadays. Where Feuermann stood for a bright, violin-like sound, Rose followed a very different approach. His sound is much more dark and earthy and of an unmatched warmth and depth. To me he is the cellist who best knew how to bring out the instrument’s inherent character and its qualities. This Lalo recording from his very successful collaboration with Ormandy showcases his strengths as a performer: his virile, heroic sound, technical prowess and a phrasing so beautiful and convincing that it leaves absolutely no room for doubt. While he was a natural musician, he also had a very methodical concept of music making which makes his renditions feel very well thought-out.

Zara Nelsova – Bloch: 'Schelomo' for violoncello and orchestra (1916), London Philharmonic, Ernest Ansermet

When I first heard Zara Nelsova's sound, I was hooked from the very first note. It was a sound like I had never heard before. There is an incredible expressive intensity in her playing that gives it an almost addictive quality. 'Schelomo' with its big rhetorical gestures feels so very natural in her hands, and the fact that she worked extensively with Bloch himself on this piece gives her interpretation a lot of authority. In an interview she recounts that when they recorded the piece together: Bloch as a conductor was constantly worried about it becoming too sentimental an interpretation, therefore choosing a very straightforward approach with rather fast tempi. Her rendition with Ansermet is certainly not in the least sentimental; but it's expressive through and through and she makes every note come alive with her unmistakable sound.

Gregor Piatigorsky – Barber: Cello Sonata Op. 6, Ralph Berkowitz (piano)

Ever since I read his incredibly entertaining memoirs as a young boy, Gregor Piatigorsky has been a great source of inspiration for me as a cellist. However, it was only later on that I better got to know his playing through the surviving audio and video recordings. His tone has a strong singing quality to it and is truly aristocratic – to me he is the most noble sounding of cellists. Additionally he has that rare gift of musical conviction which makes even lesser known works – whether it‘s the Hindemith or Walton concertos, or the Barber sonata – sound in such a way that you want to hear them again and again! (A skill he certainly shared with his close friend Jascha Heifetz…)

Paul Tortelier – Bach Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor BWV 1008

Tortelier has always fascinated me as an incredible, innovative cellist and a striking personality. His sound is electrifying and he plays with the most absolute conviction in his musical ideas. This Bach recording reflects his life long devotion to exploring and understanding the suites and I find it to be incredibly profound in its straightforward approach. The melodic lines and harmonic progressions are clear and intelligible at all times and the shape of the music well contoured. Rather than a musical interpretation, it feels like a reverence to this music which gives it an almost mystical dimension and a feeling of true grandeur.