Lise Cristiani

Description

In her new album, Sol Gabetta pays tribute to the first woman to perform in public as a professional cellist: Lise Cristiani. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Lise Cristiani's birth, this recording explores the life and music of a forgotten pioneer who broke social conventions and inspired composers such as Jacques Offenbach, Alexandre Batta, and François-Adrien Servais. In collaboration with musicologists, Sol Gabetta has reconstructed Lise Cristiani's repertoire: a blend of virtuoso cello works, opera transcriptions, and romantic miniatures, much of which is recorded here for the first time. The album reflects the expressive depth of the 19th-century cello tradition while tracing Lise Cristiani's extraordinary career, from her beginnings in Paris to her daring journey across Siberia and the Caucasus. "Lise Cristiani" offers a rare glimpse into an avant-garde artist who brought classical music to new audiences, and whose legacy is now being rediscovered.