Alisa Weilerstein and Shostakovich

Since being awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2011, Alisa Weilerstein’s career has taken her all over the globe. The cellist has become a staple soloist with various orchestras – including frequent appearances with her husband, conductor Rafael Payare. During the 2025 George Enescu International Festival in Bucharest, Weilerstein appeared alongside the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra to perform Dmitri Shostakovich’s challenging second cello concerto. Also on the program: Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, and George Enescu’s Prelude from Oedipe, led by conductor Paavo Järvi.