Natalie Clein

Introduction

Natalie Clein is a cellist of exceptional talent. She is one of the UK’s favourite cellists and also enjoys an established international career. She performs regularly with top orchestras, gives recitals in the world’s most prestigious concert halls and is an avid chamber music.

She first came to international attention when, at the age of 16, she won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition in 1994 and was nominated as best female at the Classical Brit Awards 2008. Her recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto with Vernon Handley and the RLPO received endless critical acclaim including Editor's Choice in the Gramophone and her debut recording for EMI won her a Classical Brit for best young performer in 2005.

Biography

Natalie Clein is a cellist of exceptional talent. She is one of the UK’s favourite cellists and also enjoys an established international career. She performs regularly with top orchestras, gives recitals in the world’s most prestigious concert halls and is an avid chamber music performer. Her exceptional musicality has earned her a number of prestigious prizes including the Classical Brit Award for Young British Performer of 2005, the Ingrid zu Solms Cultur Preis at the 2003 Kronberg Academie and BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1994 and the first ever British winner of the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians in the same year.

Natalie Clein has given concerto performances with all of the UK’s top orchestras and worked conductors such as Sir Charles Mackerras, Gennardi Rozhdestvensky, Sir Andrew Davis, Heinrich Schiff, Sir Neville Marriner, Mark Wigglesworth and Paul Daniel. Natalie is in great demand as a recitalist and in addition to the major UK venues, she has given recitals in Tokyo, Seoul, New York (Lincoln Center), Copenhagen, Vienna and Salzburg.

Recent and future appearances include the Hallé, Ulster, Royal Philharmonic and Royal Scottish National orchestras, the Philharmonia, Scottish Ensemble, Sinfonia Viva, London Contemporary Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony, Orquesta Filarmónica de Buenos Aires and the European Union Chamber Orchestra. Recital highlights include LSO St. Luke’s, Kings Place, Birmingham Town Hall, National Concert Hall Dublin and Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

As a chamber musician Natalie takes part in many of the world’s great international chamber festivals, where she has collaborated with Martha Argerich, Ian Bostridge, Simon Keenlyside, Melvyn Tan, Imogen Cooper, Lars Vogt, Steven Isserlis, clarinetists Michael Collins, Sharon Kam, Chen Halevi and Emma Johnson, oboist Nick Daniel and violinists Antony Marwood, Pekka Kuusisto, Isabelle Faust and Priya Mitchell. In 2008 she formed a piano quartet with Alexander Sitkovetsky, Krzysztof Chorzelski and Polina Leshenko. In 2009, Natalie collaborated with dancer Carlos Acosta at the Manchester International Festival and Sadler’s Wells London, performing solo Bach in ‘A Suite of Dances’ by Jerome Robbins.

Natalie’s recent all-Kodaly CD with Julius Drake on the Hyperion label has received fantastic reviews in national press. She has also recorded 3 discs for EMI Classics; the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Vernon Handley, and two recital discs with pianist Charles Owen - The Romantic Cello and Brahms & Schubert.

Natalie Clein has commissioned and premiered works by Fyfe Dangerfield (Eggshell Walker and Poco and the Cage for Solo Cello), Thomas Larcher (Sonata for Natalie Clein), Dobrinka Tabakova (On the South Downs for Solo Cello, Two Choirs and Chamber Orchestra) and Shiva Feshareki (Critical Distortions for Cello and Turntables).

Natalie is an extremely committed mentor of young talent and has worked extensively around the world with young musicians giving masterclasses and leading educational workshops
As a student, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Scholarship by the Royal College of Music before completing her studies with Heinrich Schiff in Vienna.

Natalie Clein plays on the “Simpson” Guadagnini cello (1777).

August 2010
PLEASE DO NOT EDIT THIS BIOGRAPHY WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF ASKONAS HOLT

Press Reviews

“The orchestra had a talented soloist for the Schumann Concerto - cellist Natalie Clein. She possesses undeniable technical mastery, playing with clear articulation and clarity of sound. Clein showed her real understanding of the poetic virtuosity of the work.”
La Nacion Newspaper, Buenos Aires. Schumann Cello Concerto with the Filharmonica de Buenos Aires.

"she prodices an astonishing range of colours and evokes the widest variety of expressive styles. I find it admirable, too, how she's able, in the recording studio, to maintain so much of the excitement and directness of live performance. Music of this rhetorical character demands a fine sense of timing; Clein demonstrates this"
Gramophone Magazine 'Editor's Choice', August 2010

“…the compelling reason for acquiring this disc, which does not attempt to be a complete survey of Kodály’s cello music, is Clein’s magnificent account of the Solo Sonata, Op.8. One of the masterpieces of the cello repertory, it opens with massive, declamatory chords, and Clein’s depth of tone makes an immediate impact on this well-engineered recording.”
John Allison, BBC Music Magazine (July 2010)

“Magically deft, soaringly passionate, without any trace of self-indulgence, Clein conjures a full orchestra of colours and textures from her precious Guadagnini cello.”
Geoff Brown, The Times (12th June 2010)

“…extremely impressive, both in the impassioned rhapsodies of the first two movements, and in the array of folk tunes that are paraded in the ferociously challenging finale.”
Andrew Clements, The Guardian (27th May 2010)

“Natalie Clein’s account of the solo cello Sonata of 1915 is staggering; every technical challenge clearly surmounted, but pulsating with theatrical life.”
Graham Rickson, The Arts Desk (19th June 2010)

“Zoltan Kodály’s Sonata for solo Cello represents one of those daunting summits that cellists feel ineluctably drawn to conquer, and Natalie Clein does so here with terrific passion, piquancy and technical accomplishment.”
Geoffrey Norris, The Telegraph (25 June 2010)

“She has a beautiful, fluid style which is well-suited to the lyrical qualities of the music [Elgar Concerto], and it was this warm and tender approach that saved some of the slower sections from lapsing into sentimentality. Her encore of Pablo Casals’s version of Song of the Birds was also exquisite.”
Susan Nickalls, The Scotsman, May 2010

“Cello Suite No 1 [Bach] was given a persuasive performance by Clein, with intelligent voicing and much accent on the element of dance”
Joanna Talbot, The Strad Magazine, May 2010

“Natalie Clein in superb partnership with pianist Tom Poster, produced a gripping performance of Delius’ Cello Sonata, steering a steady course through the variety of colour and mood in this melismatic work, bringin character and distinction to its often amorphous phrases, and building to its heroic conclusion with passion and technical aplomb.”
Tim Homfray, The Strad Magazine, November 2009.

"Natalie Clein's Elgar Cello Concerto had such an impact due to the gorgeousness of her tone and the full-on emotionalism with which she approached the work. It's an approach with a high listener appeal (witness the response over more than four decades to the recording by Jacqueline du Pre).
This was a performance with an abundance of moments to cherish."
Michael Dervan, Irish Times, 7th October 2008
Elgar Cello Concerto, RTE, Dublin

“‘You know you've been in the presence of greatness’" was the judgment of one audience member at this concert. It wasn't necessary to be a classical-music fan to appreciate the musical excellence of this evening. Bach pieces bookended stunning virtuosic playing in her performance of Kodaly's Sonata. Clein relished the array of technical complexities in the Kodaly, which swept the audience along in a series of thrills and surprises. We were stunned afresh in the second half by an improvisation with the composer Simon Fisher Turner that featured a mix of recorded sounds collected over the past few days, it worked a treat.”
Eileen Caiger Gray, The Independent
Recital Mansion House, Doncaster

“Like Jacqueline Du Pré, Natalie Clein seems to be identifying herself particularly with the Elgar Cello Concerto. Her interpretative approach, though, is very different, relying on understatement rather than heavy-duty emoting to get the music across. This was an enthralling performance, with Vernon Handley and the RLPO collaborating totally in exploring the work's quiet, inner recesses with a depth and concentration that was utterly gripping. Clein's technical command is remarkable, too -- in the scurrying repeated notes in the scherzo her bow seemed to be hardly moving, yet everything was clearly articulated.”
Mike Wheeler, 8 February 2008
Elgar Cello Concerto, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Assembly Rooms, Derby

“With the solo cello representing the voice of Solomon, Clein gave a performance that was sonsistently and profoundly expressive, from the opening lament to the closing mood of resignation and despair. Clein’s delicate and petite appearance belies an inner strength and formidable technique, which she employs with integrity and commitment, her interpretation always true to the composer’s intentions.”
Oxford Times, 21 November 2007
Bloch, Schelemo

“Her interpretation of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No 1 was exciting-the most thrilling point of the piece was the third movement Cadenza. For solo cello only, Clein shaped the movement with long phrases, taking time for each to speak with authority. The movement began in the lower registers showing off Clein’s mellow, rich and full sound before beginning the long and sustained Allegro con moto-Clein treated the audience to a surprise encore of J S Bach’s G major Prelude from the Six Suites for Cello. Interpreting the piece at a fast tempo, this was a mature performance from a cellist who has grown into a secure and respected soloist.”
Mary Robb, musicalcriticism.com, 29 October 2007
Shostakovich Cello Concerto No 1, Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Arild Remmereit, Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Discography

NEW RELEASE! KODALY CD on Hyperion. Release date 1 June 2010.

ELGAR CELLO Concerto
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
Plus Arrangements for Cello and Orchestra
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vernon Handley
EMI Classics 501 4092


THE ROMANTIC CELLO
Chopin and Rachmaninov Cello Sonatas
Charles Owen
EMI Classics 366 9382


BRAHMS & SCHUBERT
Brahms Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2
Schubert Arpeggione Sonata
With Charles Owen, piano
EMI Classics for Pleasure 586 1462

EMI Classics website

Repertoire

CONCERTO REPERTOIRE:

BLOCH
Schelomo
Three Scenes from Jewish Life

BOCCHERINI
Cello Concerto in G Major

BRAHMS
Double Concerto

BRITTEN
Cello Symphony

BRUCH
Kol Nidrei

DVORAK
Cello Concerto

ELGAR
Cello Concerto in E minor Op 85
In Moonlight, arranged by Julian Milone
La Capricieuse, arranged by Julian Milone
Romance Op 62
Salut d'Amour, arranged by Julian Milone
Chanson de Matin, arranged by Julian Milone
Sospiri, arranged by Julian Milone

FAURE
Elegie

HAYDN
Cello Concerto in D Major
Cello Concerto in C Major

LUTOSLAWSKI
Cello Concerto

PROKOFIEV
Sinfonia Concertante

RACHMANINOV
Vocalise

RESPIGHI
Adagio con Variazioni

SAINT SAENS
Cello Concerto No 1
Allegro Appassionato

SCHUMANN
Cello Concerto

SHOSTAKOVICH
Cello Concerto No.1

TAVENER
Protecting Veil

TCHAIKOVSKY
Roccoco Variations

WALTON
Cello Concerto

Links

My Space

EMI Classics

Contact

Jilly Clarke

Catherine Strange

Worldwide Management: Askonas Holt

Scandinavia:
Copenhagen Artists

Solo programmes

Solo full length programmes for 2009/10 season

Programme 1
BACH Suite for Cello in G major
BACH Suite for Cello in C major
FYFE DANGERFIELD Eggshell Walker for Solo Cello (written for Natalie in 2009)
KODALY Solo Cello Sonata

Programme 2
BACH Suite for Cello inC major
SHIVA FESHAREKI Critical Distortions for Solo Cello and Turntables (written for Natalie in 2008)
KODALY Solo Cello Sonata

Programme 3
BACH Suite for Cello in G major No 1
KODALY Solo Cello Sonata
SIMON FISHER TURNER Piece for cello & computer (written for/by Natalie and Simon Fisher Turner in 2008)
BRITTEN C major nr 3 op 87

Programme 4
BACH Suite for Cello in G major
THOMAS LARCHER Solo Cello Sonata (written for Natalie in 2009)
BRITTEN 3rd Suite op 87
BACH Suite for Cello in C major
SHIVA FESHAREKI Critical Distortions for Solo Cello and Turntables (written for Natalie in 2008)
KODALY Solo Cello Sonata

New Kodaly Disc!

Natalie Clein's new all-Kodaly disc on Hyperion has been received with great critical acclaim! The CD features the epic Solo Sonata Op 8, along with Sonatina, 9 Epigrams, Romance lyrique and Adagio, accompanied by Julius Drake.
Listen to a sample in our audio section and click here for Natalie's interview in BBC Music Magazine about her new disc.

CD Reviews:

"she prodices an astonishing range of colours and evokes the widest variety of expressive styles. I find it admirable, too, how she's able, in the recording studio, to maintain so much of the excitement and directness of live performance. Music of this rhetorical character demands a fine sense of timing; Clein demonstrates this"
Gramophone Magazine 'Editor's Choice', August 2010

“…the compelling reason for acquiring this disc, which does not attempt to be a complete survey of Kodály’s cello music, is Clein’s magnificent account of the Solo Sonata, Op.8. One of the masterpieces of the cello repertory, it opens with massive, declamatory chords, and Clein’s depth of tone makes an immediate impact on this well-engineered recording.”
John Allison, BBC Music Magazine (July 2010)

“Magically deft, soaringly passionate, without any trace of self-indulgence, Clein conjures a full orchestra of colours and textures from her precious Guadagnini cello.”
Geoff Brown, The Times (12th June 2010)

“…extremely impressive, both in the impassioned rhapsodies of the first two movements, and in the array of folk tunes that are paraded in the ferociously challenging finale.”
Andrew Clements, The Guardian (27th May 2010)

“Natalie Clein’s account of the solo cello Sonata of 1915 is staggering; every technical challenge clearly surmounted, but pulsating with theatrical life.”
Graham Rickson, The Arts Desk (19th June 2010)

“Zoltan Kodály’s Sonata for solo Cello represents one of those daunting summits that cellists feel ineluctably drawn to conquer, and Natalie Clein does so here with terrific passion, piquancy and technical accomplishment.”
Geoffrey Norris, The Telegraph (25 June 2010)