Mstislav Rostropovich Archives

A Cello Journalist’s Journey

In 2001, I found myself sharing a taxi with Dutch cellist, Anner Bylsma, who was perhaps best known and loved for his performances and recordings of the Bach Cello Suites. We were on our way to the Royal Northern College of Music’s Cello Festival in Manchester, which was the première cello celebration in the world at the time. As we discussed what his detractors were saying about his book, Bach, The Fencing Master, I couldn’t help but note how surreal it was that this was actually happening – that I was spending time with one of my cello idols. It had been 15 years since my cello professor and former Leonard Rose student, Toby Saks, had first played his revelatory 1979 Bach Suite recording for her studio. Having grown [...]

By Tim Janof|2023-09-06T02:28:23-04:00August 7th, 2023|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Interpersonal Relationships, Interviews, Performance, Self Discovery|Tags: Anner Bylsma, Mstislav Rostropovich, Internet Cello Society, Tim Janof, Pablo Casals, Journalism, Janos Starker, Cello Journalist|

Conversation with Thomas Demenga (May, 2007)

Interview by Tim Janof Thomas Demenga, born 1954 in Berne, Switzerland, studied with Walter Grimmer, Antonio Janigro, Leonard Rose and Mstislav Rostropovich, among others. Important chamber-musical influences were Claus Adam, Felix Galimir, and Robert Mann at the Juilliard School in New York As an internationally renowned soloist, composer and teacher, Thomas Demenga counts among the most outstanding cellists and musicians of our time. He has performed at important festivals and musical centers around the globe and shared the stage with fellow musicians such as Heinz Holliger, Gidon Kremer, Thomas Larcher, Paul Meyer, Aurèle Nicolet, Hansheinz Schneeberger, Thomas Zehetmair, and Tabea Zimmermann. He has worked with conductors such as Moshe Atzmon, Myung-Whun Chung, Charles Dutoit, Claus Peter Flor, Howard Griffiths, Heinz Holliger, Armon Jordan, Okko Kamu, Mstislav Rostropovich, Dennis Russell Davies, [...]

By Tim Janof|2022-02-07T11:41:25-05:00January 31st, 2022|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Interviews, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: Thomas Demenga, Felix Galimir, Bach, Antonio Janigro, Leonard Rose, Walter Grimmer, Technique, Bent Endpin, String Types, Mstislav Rostropovich, Maurice Gendron|

Conversation with Mischa Maisky (May, 2007)

by Tim Janof Mischa Maisky has the distinction of being the only cellist in the world to have studied with both Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky. Rostropovich has lauded Mischa Maisky as "... one of the most outstanding talents of the younger generation of cellists. His playing combines poetry and exquisite delicacy with great temperament and brilliant technique." Born in Latvia, educated in Russia, after his repatriation to Israel, Mischa Maisky has been enthusiastically received in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, New York and Tokyo, along with the rest of the major music centers. He considers himself as a citizen of the world: "I'm playing an Italian cello, with French bows, Austrian and German strings, my daughter was born in Paris, my older son in Brussels and my younger one in [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-01-14T16:13:12-05:00January 17th, 2022|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Interviews, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: Zubin Mehta, Pablo Casals, Bach, Gregor Piatigorsky, competitions, Mstislav Rostropovich, Mischa Maisky|

Conversation with Olga Rostropovich (May, 2003)

by Tim Janof This brief interview is with Mstislav Rostropovich's daughter, Olga, who attended the 2003 National Cello Congress in Tempe, Arizona. TJ: Do you still play the cello? OR: Not anymore. TJ: Did you quit because of the pressure of being the daughter of Mstislav Rostropovich? OR: Of course, I felt the pressure of being his daughter, but I dealt with it. I mostly quit playing because I got married and had children, and I knew that I couldn't be both a performing cellist and a good wife and mother. Somehow my mother, Galina Vishnevskaya, was able to do both. She was a prima donna at the Bolshoi Theatre Opera, the wife of a very successful man, and the mother of his children. I don't know how she did [...]

By Tim Janof|2022-01-10T12:58:05-05:00December 29th, 2021|Categories: Biography, Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Performance, Repertoire, Teaching|Tags: Mstislav Rostropovich, Olga Rostropovich, Dmitri Shostakovich, Galina Vishnevskaya, Soviet Union|

Master Class Reports: Janos Starker’s 75th Birthday Celebration (September, 1999)

by Tim Janof The following are my notes from the master classes in Bloomington, Indiana during the 75th Birthday celebration for Janos Starker (September 12-14, 1999). Please note that, though certain ideas are discussed in terms of specific points in the music, some ideas may be applied in a more general sense. Maria Kliegel's Master Class: Bach c minor Prelude The dotted notes shouldn't come out like triplets (i.e. m. 8). It is important that one learn about Baroque performance practice. Come in on the opening C's with confidence, though not necessarily with a bang. The G in measure 1 continues what the C is doing, so be sure to connect it to the previous C. One gets better articulation in the dotted eighth-sixteenth passages (i.e. m. 6) if one [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-05-20T13:39:49-04:00November 18th, 2021|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Janos Starker, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: Master Class, Mstislav Rostropovich, Maria Kliegel, Internet Cello Society, Gary Hoffman, Master Class Reports, Janos Starker|

Conversation with Glenn Garlick (September, 1995)

Interview by Tim Janof Glenn Garlick is the Assistant Principal Cellist of the National Symphony in Washington, DC. TJ: Looking over your bio, I see you studied at Eastman with Ron Leonard, who is now principal cellist of the LA Philharmonic. Did he have any principal themes in his teaching? GG: Time and time again I give thanks to Ron Leonard for the work he did with my bow arm. The thing that Ron did the most was to clean up my approach to the bow. He had excellent training himself, being a disciple of Leonard Rose and the legendary violinist, Ivan Galamian, who taught at Juilliard and ran the Meadowmount Music Camp during the summers. Ron also played for Casals and was the principal cellist of the Casals Festival [...]

By Tim Janof|2021-04-26T16:25:32-04:00April 19th, 2021|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Interviews, Orchestra, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: Mstislav Rostropovich, Ron Leonard, Joseph Gingold, Orchestral Playing, career|

Conversation with Carter Brey (April, 2000)

Interview by Tim Janof Carter Brey was appointed Principal Cellist of the New York Philharmonic in 1996. He rose to international attention in 1981 as a prizewinner in the Rostropovich International Cello Competition. Subsequent appearances with Rostropovich and the National Symphony Orchestra were unanimously praised. The winner of the Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Prize, Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Young Concert Artists Michaels Award and other honors, he also was the first musician to win the Arts Council of Americas Performing Arts Prize. Mr. Brey has appeared as soloist with virtually all the major orchestras in the United States, and has performed under the batons of Claudio Abbado, Semyon Bychkov, Sergiu Comissiona, Christoph von Dohnanyi, and other prominent conductors. In 1990, he was featured in a concert with cellist Yo-Yo Ma [...]

By Tim Janof|2023-02-27T12:56:12-05:00March 22nd, 2021|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Interviews, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: Mstislav Rostropovich, laurence lesser, Aldo Parisot, Stephen Kates, Interpretation, repertoire, Technique|

Conversation with Karine Georgian (November, 2004)

Interview by Tim Janof Born into a family of musicians in Moscow, Karine Georgian began her cello studies at the age of five under her father, later studying at the Moscow Conservatoire under Rostropovich. After taking the First Prize and Gold Medal at the Third Tchaikovsky International Competition, she launched an international career that has spanned all the countries of the former Soviet Union, Eastern and Western Europe, the Far East, and the United States, starting with the American premiere of Khachaturian's Cello Rhapsody with the Chicago Symphony conducted by the composer (her recording with the composer and the Moscow Bolshoi Radio Symphony Orchestra has recently been reissued by Melodiya/BMG Classics). Today, Karine Georgian is a seasoned performer with a vast experience on concert platforms across the world, having appeared [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-12-02T22:43:14-05:00November 25th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Competition, Interviews, Performance|Tags: Thomas Hemsley, career, Glenn Gould, performance, competitions, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jacqueline du Pré|

Conversation with Julian Lloyd Webber (July, 2004)

Interview by Tim Janof Widely regarded as one of the most creative musicians of his generation, Julian Lloyd Webber has collaborated with an extraordinary array of musicians, from Yehudi Menuhin, Lorin Maazel, Neville Marriner, and Georg Solti to Stephane Grappelli, Elton John, and Cleo Laine. Julian's twenty-year partnership with Philips/Universal Classics has produced many outstanding recordings, including his Brit-Award winning Elgar Concerto, conducted by Yehudi Menuhin (chosen as the finest ever version by BBC Music Magazine), the Dvorák Concerto with Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic, Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations with the London Symphony under Maxim Shostakovich, and a coupling of Britten's Cello Symphony and Walton's Concerto with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, which was described by Gramophone magazine as "beyond any rival." Julian [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-03-28T00:03:20-04:00October 21st, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Interviews, Performance|Tags: Phillip Glass, Commissions, New Music, Pierre Fournier, Mstislav Rostropovich, Douglas Cameron, Joan Dickson, Stradivarius, Recording Contracts|

Conversation with Robert Cohen (December, 2000)

Interview by Tim Janof British cellist Robert Cohen is firmly established as one of the world's leading soloists. His career takes him on major tours of the USA, Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the UK, performing with conductors such as Abbado, Jansons, Marriner, Masur, Muti, Rattle, and Sinopoli. Cohen made his concert debut at London's Royal Festival Hall playing a Boccherini concerto at the age of 12. His prodigy was nurtured by the great pedagogue William Pleeth. He also took part in classes with Jacqueline du Pré, André Navarra, and Mstislav Rostropovich. At the age of 19, after winning several major international competitions, he made his recording debut -- Elgar's cello concerto with Del Mar and the London Philharmonic -- which received several awards and has [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-10-01T00:39:46-04:00September 24th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Performance, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: Mstislav Rostropovich, Jacqueline du Pré, William Pleeth, Andre Navarra, Daniel Barenboim, David Oistrakh, Technique, bow technique|

Conversation with Steven Doane (August, 1994)

Interview by Tim Janof Mr. Doane is on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music. TJ: At what point did you decide that you would dedicate your life to music? SD: When I was in my second year in high school, I told my parents that I wanted to train to be a professional cellist. They asked my cello teacher if he thought I would be able to make it. He said, "I don't know if he'll be another Piatigorsky, but he should be able to make a living." Of course I was disappointed that he didn't say I was going to be another Piatigorsky, but my parents were reassured. I ended up studying with Richard Kapuscinski at Oberlin. Then I went to Stony Brook for a couple of [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-09-24T03:04:40-04:00September 16th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Bernard Greenhouse, Competition, Interviews, In the Practice Room, Pablo Casals|Tags: Janos Starker, Richard Kapuscinski, Practice, Jane Cowan, Portato, legato, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pablo Casals, Bach, Interpretation, Bernard Greenhouse, Teaching, Steven Isserlis|

Conversation with Wendy Warner (June, 2000)

Interview by Tim Janof The international music world first took note of Wendy Warner when she won First Prize in the Fourth International Rostropovich Competition in Paris in 1990. Later that year, Ms. Warner made her debut with the National Symphony Orchestra and Mstislav Rostropovich, and the next year she was the featured soloist on their North American tour. Rostropovich also engaged her for a tour of Germany with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in 1991, making her debuts in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Koln, Dusseldorf, and Berlin. For Rostropovich's 70th birthday celebration concert in Kronberg, Germany, she was invited to perform in recital and with orchestra, and later played the Vivaldi double concerto with him at Reims, France. In addition to her tours with Rostropovich, Ms. Warner toured with the Moscow Virtuosi [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-09-24T03:04:03-04:00September 8th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews, Performance, Teaching|Tags: Glenn Garlick, Interpretation, Nell Novak, Teaching, sound production, Technique, Rostropovich, Mstislav Rostropovich|

Conversation with Natalia Gutman (October, 1999)

Interview by Tim Janof Natalia Gutman was born in Kazan, Russia, and started to play the cello at the age of 5. In 1964, having already won the International Tchaikovsky Competition, she entered the Moscow Conservatory to study with Mstislav Rostropovich. Her First Prize in the 1967 Munich ARD Competition marked the beginning of her international career. Since then she has performed with the leading orchestras of the world, and with conductors such as Sawallisch, Muti, Abbado, Haitink, Svetlanov, Temirkanov, Celibidache, and Masur. She regularly appears with the most important summer festivals in Europe. Oleg Kagan and Sviatislov Richter were among Ms. Gutman's regular chamber music partners until their recent deaths. Richter once expressed his admiration for her by saying, " she is an incarnation of truthfulness in [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-09-08T18:32:39-04:00June 15th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: Bach, Mstislav Rostropovich, Tim Janof, Natalia Gutman, alfred schnittke|

Conversation with Mstislav Rostropovich (April, 2006)

Interview by Tim Janof Mstislav Rostropovich is internationally acclaimed and acknowledged as one of the world's greatest living cellists. He has given countless memorable performances and has inspired the world's leading composers to enlarge and enrich the standard cello repertoire with works specially composed for and dedicated to him. These include works by Britten, Bliss, Khachaturian, Lutoslawski, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Rostropovich was soloist in the premieres of Prokofiev's second Cello Concerto in 1952, Shostakovich's two Cello Concertos in 1959 and 1966, Britten's Cello Symphony in 1964 and Bliss's Cello Concerto in 1970. Many other works have been written for him and today his repertoire includes more than 50 concertos, ranging from the baroque, through the classical and romantic periods, to the avant-garde. As a cellist, Rostropovich is noted for his [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-03-10T15:00:24-04:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: Internet Cello Society, ICS, Mstislav, Rostropovich, Mstislav Rostropovich|

The Britten Cello Suites (Part 1) — by Aron Zelkowicz

Cellists have as much reason as anyone to celebrate the upcoming Benjamin Britten centenary, if not more so. The five major cello works he wrote for Mstislav Rostropovich – the sonata, the Symphony Concerto, and the three solo suites – have been taken up in short order as standard repertoire. By my unofficial count there are twenty recordings of the complete cello suites on the market, not to mention sixteen “incomplete” cycles of one or two suites here and there. So it can be easy to forget that this music hasn’t been around for very long. Those of us of a certain age can remember relics like the individually published suites, each score with its distinctly colored cover. Or Rostropovich’s classic 1970 LP titled, rather definitively, “Britten: The Suites for [...]

By Aron Zelkowicz|2022-03-18T13:25:36-04:00November 12th, 2013|Categories: Performance, Repertoire|Tags: Suites, indulge, Performing, Effective, memory, cello, genius, Mstislav Rostropovich, cellobello, 1971, navigation, movements, Benjamin Britten, non-verbal drama, Britten solo cello suites, pizzicati, personality, canto, silences, centenary, solo cello suites, Aron, compelling interpreters, solo suites, Zelkowicz, effect, opera, grandiose, Janos Starker|