Hi, nice video. I however miss some other great cellists such as Janos Starker, Paul Tortelier, André Navarra or Jacqueline Du Pre. As well as Gaspar Cassadó from the earlier generation or Natalia Gutman and Karine Georgian or Boris Perhamenshikov.
Daniil Shafran is great - his Kabalevsky 2 (written for him) will never be matched. I played for him in masterclasses in 1988 - a lovely man and incredibly dedicated - his fingers were bound with plasters - to stop them cracking and bleeding from his incredible practice regime. Rostropovich was the greatest - a true freak of nature. Starker is also one of the greatest ever - his Kodaly and Cassado unaccompanied sonates are unmatched. Paul Tortelier was also one of the great cellists. One that most people don't know is Aldo Parisot - you can find works with him playing by Villa Lobos and Guarneris on RU-vid - unbelievable pieces and playing. Heinrich Schiff was great too - a wonderful cellist.
André Navarra and Paul Tortelier could have easily been mentioned. Also, George Ricci, brother of the famous violinist Ruggiero, never gets enough love. Great video!
Shafran playing Schumann, heart breaking, it’s like hearing the cello wail. He reminded me that it’s enough to play like yourself, you don’t have to be anyone else. And my personal fav is Jacqueline du pre.. her playing has a personal intimate tone, she was gone too young.
Leonard Rose was the epitome of elegant, refined playing. 40+ years ago, I was fortunate to do the Dvorak and the Saint-Seans concerto in two separate concerts with him as soloist. It was magnificent.
I was going to mention Jacqueline Du Pre, but after reading the description, I understood the reason you didn't mentioned her. But she is my hero cellist!
Yes, I wanted indeed to mention her! But I managed somehow. I am creating a video with the female cello pioneers and Jacqueline Du Pre definitely is on the list! She is a hero indeed. So sad she passed away so young…
I wanted to add Starker, Navarra and Tortelier. But I was afraid the video would be too long :( Thanks for watching and the compliments! All the best to you too!
Dear Ilia Laporev, here I have another spectacular find on youtube to bring to your attention: Pfitzner's, Cello Concerto with Cassado and Mengelberg. Cassado displays the most beautiful sound and a masterly skill of portamento use. You probably know, how badly he was treated by his teacher Casals and wrongly accused of supporting Franco's politics? It even shortened his life! Cassado was a really great cellist.
I've sent that Danial Sh. video to lots of cello buddies, telling them this is THE best, cleanest most wonderful Schubert Arp. sonata one can find. The MOST unusual fingers ever but MAN, what technique. He had more tonal colors than most any other cellist, (Harrel comes in a close second however...) Great video!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I like the way the video is titled modestly: not saying the cellists named are the only ones to be familiar with. I am an enthusiast merely, not a musician. As such, I think the late Lynn Harrell may be worth knowing (he has a pic, but he was actually older than Maisky) with his legacy as performer/teacher. Shafran , for a westerner, is somewhat a lesser known musician; do we have the Dvorak concerto on record from him? The excerpt you included for him makes a good case to hear his interpretations. Not a personal favorite, but a great favorite of others and having a distinctive sound was Janos Starker. He might merit inclusion. Thanks for a very nice piece!
Good thing you put the don quixote of Rostropovich, this is without a doubt the recording that touched me the most and still to this day my jaw drops, what an incredible cellist. Great video!
Thank you so much for your comment! His Don Quixote is just breathtaking, I couldn’t let it go. I am glad you enjoyed this video! There will be more series like this coming out soon!
Congratulations on this video! The selection of excerpts show the specific character of each cellist's playing very well. Many thanks for taking the time to put this together. Looking forward to the next video in your mini-series.
Good assessment, but where is Janos Starker? His technique, his maturity and enormous discipline place him next to Feuremann. His interpretations are authentic to the composer, his playing always consistent, polished, and flawless. A legendary teacher. He could identify a student’s physical or mental or habitual obstacle in a flash. I've heard him make three brilliant points in one sentence, often he kind that result in "AHA!" moments only days or months later.
A wonderful compilation and an impossible task. Every time you think you are done, you think of 'just one more' - and then another..... The wonder of RU-vid is that it allows us to explore and reminisce. Long ago, I saw Starker play Bartok, among many others. I was struck that he made it sound great and I suspected that similar backgrounds may have been an influence. I'm a violinist, but my orchestral role allowed me to enjoy many fine cellists from a position that most would envy. I've always loved Piatigorski. His playing was unmatched and he had such a warm personality as well. This could go on forever! Thanks.
I think Heinrich Schiff was just _so adorable_ as he so aggressively immersed himself in the that Minor piece by Schuman. Light Classical listener here, and I also wanted to mention how much depth and Spirit was to be found in the Hayden. I naively assumed Hayden “old” music wouldn’t be more deep than more modern composers! Shame on ME!
Good video, Ilia. Pablo Casals was catalan. That means he was also spanish. It is the only one cellist whose country is not mentioned in the video and pehaps it could be an interesting information for someone. Thanks for all your videos, Ilia.
The greatest cellist I ever heard was Janos Starker... No one had great perfection in performances. He emulated Feuermann. He also was a great teacher,
That’s true. I read his biography book where there is a CD with him playing, I think he was around 80. Quite roughly playing, but technical perfection. And at that age…but his Kodaly in Japan is iconic and historic. Pity I didn’t include him…
@@IliaLaporevcellist I agree, Starker was brilliant, both as a cellist, and as a teacher. I attended a master class he taught around 1972. I was playing flute at the time, but everything he said about cello technique applied not just to my flute playing, but also to how one lives one’s life. Amazing!
@@IliaLaporevcellistOne of Navarra bows was a also a piece of jewelry art: the 1937 gold mounted E A Ouchard, that Tarisio sold recently. It’s golden light turtle frog with gold star eye attracts a lot of attention! Ouchard made 3 of those, 1 cello bow for Navarra and 1 cello plus 1 violin bow for 1937 Paris Expo. Violin one was on Maison Bernard in Brussels (maybe you have seen it) and now is now on sale by Martin Swan near London. You can look at it on his website.
I have heard live Schiff, Fournier and Gendron. I will never forget the tone Schiff made on his yellow Gennaro Gagliano cello. Els it was a revalation first time I heard Feurmann play Beethoven - what a soulfull sound. Casals Bach is second to none.
Oh my God. You heard Fournier and Gendron live! Indeed, Schiff’s sound is unforgettable. I am happy that I took a little bit from the Schiff school (I studied with his student Clemens Hagen). Thank you for watching and hopefully you enjoyed it!
Sim! Sou uma mistura de muitos! Meu professor Hans Mannes era discípulo de Maurice Gendron e Pierre Fournier. E meu pai estudou com Natalya Shakhovskaya, que era a mão direita de Rostropovich 🔥 Eu também estudei com Clemens Hagen, que foi aluno do Heinrich Schiff!
Absolutely agree! You know, my former teacher Hans Mannes told me once that years ago, when you turn on the radio, you could immediately recognise who is playing, only because of the sound, vibrato and interpretation. You could easily say after a few seconds: this is Shafran, or, this is Slava, or this is Tortelier (unfortunately couldn’t add him in today’s video or else it would be too long). Nowadays it’s very hard to find it out. Although there are great cellists over there, but nothing like the great masters back then!
@@IliaLaporevcellist Thank you, just realized I spelled vibrato wrongly, sorry. I used to listen to the tapes and figure out the bowing by listening to the tapes, my teacher taught me that, it was a pain going through it, but now I find it's a huge reward. Looking forward to your next video, by the way, one of my cello heroes is Wang Jian, I like his Dvorak. For Bach, I highly recommend Pieter Wispelwey, amazing bow arm.
I really enjoyed your wondelful video. It sent me down the memory lane, when I was a young teenager discovering all these amazing players. I played a little game by myself, trying to pick a single thing about every one of them: Pablo Casals: I'm catalan and I play the cello. What can I say? HIS WHOLE HUMANITY! Grisha Piatigorsky: his upbow/downbow staccato. I don't even know how he does that. Pierre Founier: his incredible, smooth, rich and velvety SOUND. Maurice Gendron: any of his astonishing cadenzas. Daniil Schafran: his whole left hand is insane, but if I had to pick one single insane thing about it, i would be his vibrato. Slava Rostropovich: for me, it's his Dvorák. It's always felt as "his" concerto to me, even though Prokofiev and Shostakovich wrote for him. Misha Maisky: his ability to evolve. I'm amazed at how his way of perfoming has really changed since the 80s, but he's never lost his personality. I don't feel aquainted enough with them to say something about Rose and Schiff, even though I also like their playing very much.
@dionbaillargeon4899 Loved your game! That is actually the point of this whole video! Pity that many people here don’t see it that way. Pablo Casals will always be the number 1: HUMANITY, as you just wrote! I am really happy that you enjoyed this video! There will be more coming! Thank you for watching!
@@IliaLaporevcellist Thank you so much! If you ever do a follow-up I'd love to hear your take on Zara Nelsova. Among pre-Du Pre women cellists I feel she's much lesser known than Beatrice Harrison or Guillermina Suggia, despite being a totally towering musician.
And also by the way . . . Hartman (student of Popper) had a trio, with Lener at the violin but the pianist was Ravel (!!!) and he also played Don Quixote with Strauss conducting . . .
Dear Mr. Laporev, Thank you for this video, by which I got to know new wonderful cellists (I just found my way to the cello recently - I am far from being a musician). Of course one could add many more, but I missed ...just now I read that you could not integrated HER because of some reasons: JdP
Vídeo excele pros dias atuas. Muitos jovens cellistas não ouviram falar deles…fora que na minha opinião, hoje, apesar do grande número de grandes músicos, ainda sinto falta de algo que só os antigos tinham e hoje em dia é raro de ver
Thank you for watching and the compliments! If you take a look into the video description you will know why I could not include het :( Copyright issues…
Thank You for this Wonderful video! What is the piece that Piatigorsky was playing in the excerpt you provided? The down bow spiccato was amazing! Thanks AGAIN for the video!
So happy this showed up in my RU-vid feed. Bless the algorithm 😊. So many fine cellists, so much great music. At 70 I'll not live long enough to fully appreciate it all, but will love every minute of listening/watching. Eagerly awaiting your next lesson.
Hello!!! Thank you for your contribution to the world of music lovers!!! But...please tell me, why there is no Starker, Janigro, Perenyi and Tortelier on your list? I especially miss Janos Starker, a magician of cello! His Bach cello suites were out of this world! Greetings from Poland 🍀🍀🍀
Hi! I couldn’t include everyone in one video. There will be a second part because there are just too many great cellists! Thank you for watching and understanding! Greetings from Holland!
I was expecting you to mention Tortelier after Fournier, but you skipped to Gendron to continue the French line. I remember reading stories somewhere that Gendron was a mean teacher, his amazing playing aside, were you passed any interesting stories?
I can't believe you left out Janos Starker from this grouping! Mischa Maisky could have been placed in the video about the younger generation of cellists.
You missed one of the greatest. No list could be complete without Maurice Marechal! Just listen to his Chopin E flat Nocturne recording (also on youtube) He was a giant of the Cello and very influencial.
@@IliaLaporevcellist I am glad to have been helpful. There is a Faure Elegy, the Lalo concerto, a great Debussy Sonata and several small pieces of his on youtube. His aristocratic taste and his ability to use a very slow bow speed in his sound production and to create intensity of sound is outstanding. This is very much needed and wished for in the interpretation of some works. Casals (of course) also was a master in this skill. Who even tries do that today? It would be interesting, to find out how much influence Marechal had on the development of the French cello school...
@@IliaLaporevcellist That's pretty normal. I mean, my post was half-joking, for sure. You've mentioned classical music performers, so to say. Kerry was a rock performer/singer/composer. However, my post was also half-serious - at least, now you know of that extraordinary genius of music. Here is him, by the way: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qvvEdrcyuOY.html And yes, he had got PhD in composition. His composing and playing style are full of triplets, syncopations, multi-layered structures, constant meter changes. As the cello player he was probably a so-so one. His true talents were in the keyboards and compositional departments.
You did say this is an ongoing project, implying there is a second part, because I wonder what you think of such icons like: Tortelier, Nelsova, and Navarra. I saw others already mentioned Starker; he was not only a great pioneer, but one of the most influential pedagogues.
Absolutely! These are icons I did not mention in this video, it needs several parts. Need to find footage as well that will not strike with copyrights. So I hope to include them all in this project. Thanks for watching! And actually, there will be many parts coming.
@antonioperglez As mentioned in another comment. I totally forgot about Cassadó, I feel so ashamed of that. I wanted to include Tortelier and Navarra as well, but was afraid the video would be too long. There are just so many legends that left a huge legacy!
I just saw Sheku Kanneh-Mason live, a young guy well on his way to becoming an all-time great. Great list! I would also add Paul Tortelier and Jacqueline du Pre.
Thanks! Mason will stil comel! He is too young for this list :) Tortelier I did not add due to video lenght. And Du Pre I make a separate video with only female cello pioneers!
@@IliaLaporevcellistThere is no reason there should be a separate video for females. This isn’t tennis or basketball where one cannot compare physical strengths. Jacqueline du Pre is a legend, as much as any on your list. What a shame. And what about Beatrice Harrison?
Hey there! Tortelier my bad that he is not in the list (video would be too young). Hannah Chang is not from that period, look very well at the title and thumbnail ;) It’s from the period between 1891-1971.
Fantastic concept. The video format allows you to deftly combine full-motion performance footage, still photos, the actual recorded sound of the artists, and obviously your highly informative narration. Great job. Well done. Liked & subscribed.
@brankohutt Navarra was a great teacher, but as a cellist I find him harsch. So no…not in this list for me where there is Rostropovich, Shafran, Piatigorsky,…
Navarra spiellte mehr als 150 Konzerten pro Jahr und war meist gefragte Celliste seiner Zeit. Suchen Sie nach seiner live video Aufnahme des Dvorak mit japanischer Filharmonie, und alles wird klar. @@IliaLaporevcellist
Du Pre may not have been a master but only because, sadly, she didn't live long enough. However, it should have been noted here that in her short life she was influential and well-respected among her peers. At least she deserves an honourable mention. Any documentary of cellists without her reference is still sorely lacking.
My observation regarding Casals is that many young graduates nowadays play with much better technique than his. Has the level of cello technique risen over the years, or was it just that he made recordings at an older age, and had lost some accuracy?
Good observation. I think both. The level nowadays is just so high. So much competition…When I will arrive at the part of the present cellists, it will be hard to choose.
@@IliaLaporevcellist indeed. For a young one I recommend checking Luiz Fernando Venturelli. Met him when 15y.o and he already destroyed all standards. He makes a violin off the cello nowadays! Hans Jensen's student. Regarding todays level and competition, last month I heard Hayoung Choi, winner of Queen Elizabeth 2022. She was so flawlessly perfect playing Arpeggione and Rachmaninoff's sonatas that sounded like midi. Not a single scratch or note out of tune. It was technically impressive but didn't really touch me. Not sure I would drive 4~5 hours each way again... Then last week I heard a friend playing is half-graduation recital, I enjoyed so much more! Competition is kindda pointless when they make the cello an olympic sport. Some of my favorite cellists are far from perfect. Pieter Wispelwey is a true legend, a technical virtuoso, even him slips a note here and there, and I love that. Heard him play both Saint-Saens concertos with OSESP (all rehearsals and two nights), then all 6 Suites the next day. Everything full of energy and passion. And sometimes there was "air" on his bows in fast passages, almost light-scratchy, and I loved that. Something the guys in comps would never try. Plus he is such a nice guy, we had dinner together and he insisted in paying for the beer! haha Shafran wouldn't win any comp with his arpeggione nowadays. Sad.
@ericoschmitt wait a minute, where are you from? You know Luiz Venturelli? I gave him a masterclass when before leaving to Hans Jorgen Jensen. You mentioned OSESP, I was principal there (maybe I even come back there) and Queen Elizabeth Competition, which is in Brussels, and I am from Ghent, Belgium! Haha! But what you say it is absolutely true. I will make a video about the new cellists (probably a bit controversial). Oh yeah, Shafran would not even pass the first round, that for sure! Like Bartok says: competitions are for horses, not artists. Wise words.
@@IliaLaporevcellist Whaaat! Were you there in 2016? Thinking back now, I think I saw you there. Even played a bit of the saint-saens during the rehearsal break. I was there just after the festival, stayed a week more for the concerts and classes. I'm from Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. Met Luiz at FEMUSC earlier that year or the year before.
@ericoschmitt Pronto! Agora posso falar com você em Português rsrs! Sim, estava lá em 2016! Eu era chefe de naipr de 2015 até 2018! Depois decidi voltar para Europa. Mas vendo como as coisas estão por aqui, estou pensando voltar para o Brasil com minha esposa (ela é Brasileira). Durante a pandemia a gente ficou em Vitória, ES. A OSESP me quer de volta, mas não sei se quero continuar na orquestra. Que legal, você é de lá, e eu com você conversando em Inglês! Um dia nos encontramos para bater um papo legal com um café! Um abraço!
I can not believe you forgot David Popper (only!) and Imre Harman and Janos Starker (students of Popper); and of course Paul Tortelier who was sponsored by Casals and recorded together with him (and by the way Tortelier also taught Jacqueline Du Pre after her studies at Guildhall with Willaim Pleeth) . . . I was expecting to see those great names also . . .
Couldn’t add her because the recording examples of Du Pre were striking the copyright and would block this video :( It’s written in the video description. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this video!
@@IliaLaporevcellist Thank you for sharing this wonderful video! Shafra may the only cellist I did not know allready. But what a discovery. WOW! I am a huge fan. Piatagorssky also. Among the contamporaries, I love Anastasia Kobekina. You should check her out! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N5i0KBbtryU.html
I am not familiar at all with that. I know it is the cello, not because I am a cellist, but because it is, because we have registers that are on the same height like a bass, baritone, alt, soprano,…How can a piano or percussion be close to the human voice?
When I was a kid, I was obliged to go to opera and listen to good singers. Back then I did not know why, today it makes sense. We sing when we play. When we play notes, we must add words (or lyrics). And when a cellist can do that with his/her instrument. Then yes: it’s closest to the human voice.
@@IliaLaporevcellist people say that about the clarinet and violin. But the cello (or the violin) isn't like the human voice because it is STOPPED. The high notes on the human voices are fundamentals not stopped notes.
@@IliaLaporevcellist a pianist learns to imitate a singer but nobody says a piano is close to the human voice. But the other instruments you can say that. I would say it about the violin. Or clarinet. Cello in my opinion is not like the human voice (nor is the violin) unless you have never heard,a human voice. The strong notes in a human voice are the high notes. The strong notes in a string instrument are the open strings ie the low notes. So saying such a thing is oversimplified and banal. And string instruments cannot convey words. So they are not like the human voice.
Hmmmm. String instruments cannot convey words…It’s better if you discuss this with the great masters. Weird opinion you have, I have to disagree with you. But hey, everyone has its thoughts! Thanks for watching anyway!
