Mischa Maisky has aged – beautifully. The legendary cellist still plays with the same intense commitment and conviction, with the added spice that comes from appreciating the gift of time.

Mischa could not wish for a better accompanist than his daughter, Lily. She, too, draws out the colours and sonorities in her instrument; and she was unfailingly attentive to every inflexion in her father’s spontaneous interpretation of the music. Her playing mirrored his gestures, and the glances they exchanged were filled with tenderness.

Mischa and Lily Maisky. Photo © Bernard Rosenberg

The first half of the program consisted of songs by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Felix Mendelssohn. Joining 12 Romantic vignettes together created a long and increasingly intense emotional arc. It peaked in Brahms’ Liebestreu and Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer (My sleep grows ever quieter), where every sound was nurtured as if a life depended on it.

There followed an actual Song without Words (Lied ohne Worte) by Felix Mendelssohn – an uplifting work that ensured a positive conclusion to the first half. It was only after the last notes of the Mendelssohn had floated away that they acknowledged the audience with a bow; and in so doing they released a torrent of pent-up applause.

The ‘Russian’ second half opened with Mischa Maisky’s own arrangements of two short works by Rachmaninov: Melodie and Vocalise. Maisky’s arrangements seemed to amplify the emotional ebb and flow in both works, providing a larger canvas for Maisky’s characteristically expressive musicianship.

The final item on the program was Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata. This performance was exceptional, by any standards. Maisky had a galvanising effect on Shostakovich’s score. With theatrically timed hesitations, deft technical effects and a vivid, constantly engaged imagination, he brought the music to life. We could sense the gamut of experience and imagine the scenes Shostakovich captured in his music.

Throughout the evening – and particularly in this work, in which the piano and cello are equal partners – Lily Maisky matched her gifted father’s flair and flexibility.

The Hamer Hall audience would not let them go, and they willingly returned to the stage four times to play – exquisitely – works by Casals, Debussy, Kreisler and Brahms.

It was a privilege to be there.

Mischa & Lily Maisky perform on 8 November, Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House; 11 November, Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane, and 15 November at Winthrop Hall, Perth.