Maestro Mischa Maisky (Cello)
Misha Maisky was born in Riga in 1948. In 1966 he won a prize at the
International Tchaikovsky Competition and commenced studies with Rostropovich at
the Moscow Conservatory; at the same time, he began pursuing an active concert
career throughout the Soviet Union.
Following a period of harassment by Soviet authorities, Maisky emigrated in
1972 to Israel, where his sister had settled several years before, and now lives
in Belgium. In 1973, he won the Gaspar Cassado International Cello Competition
in Florence, and later that year made his debut at New York's Carnegie Hall with
the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under William Steinberg. After this concert,
an anonymous admirer gave Maisky a Montagnana cello from the 18th century - the
instrument he still uses today. In 1974, Mischa Maisky studied for several
months with Gregor Piatigorsky, thus becoming the great master's last student
and the only other person ever to have studied with both Piatigorsky and
Rostropovich.
Since then Mischa Maisky has been enthusiastically received in London, Paris,
Berlin, Vienna, New York, Tokyo along with the rest of the major musical centres
of the world. In 1995 he returned to Moscow after a 23 year absence to give a
concert and to record with the Russian National Orchestra and Mikhail Pletnev.
In 2000 he celebrated the Bach aniversary year with a marathon tour covering
several continents, including special events in major centres (including
London’s South Bank Centre) playing all 6 solo suites and the 3 piano and cello
sonatas in one day. DG also released a re-interpretation of the solo suites,
following the huge success of his original recording. Truly a world class
musician, he has had partnerships with artists such as Martha Argerich, Radu
Lupu, Gidon Kremer, Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel
Barenboim and Giuseppe Sinopoli, to name just a few.
Following his recording of the Brahms Double Concerto with Gidon Kremer and
the Vienna Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein, in 1985 Mischa Maisky became
exclusive to Deutsche Grammophon, winning much acclaim and three Tokyo Academy
Awards for his many recordings which include: two recordings of the Bach solo
cello suites (Grand Prix du Disque), sonatas by Bach and Beethoven with Martha
Argerich, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky Trios with Gidon Kremer and Martha
Argerich, and four discs of encore favourites, featuring Maisky_s own
transcriptions of songs by Brahms, Schubert and French composers. His concerto
recordings have included the Schumann Concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic
under Bernstein, the Dvorak Concerto and Bloch's Schelemo with the Israel
Philharmonic, also with Bernstein, Haydn with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe,
Elgar and Tchaikovsky with the Philharmonia and Sinopoli, Shostakovich with the
London Symphony Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas, Vivaldi,
Boccherini,Tchaikovsky, Schumann and Saint-Saens with the Orpheus Chamber
Orchestra, and Prokofiev and Miaskovsky with Pletnev and the Russian National
Orchestra. In the past year DG have released his recording of the Mendelssohn
sonatas with Sergio Tiempo and a live recital disc with Martha Argerich (Chopin,
Debussy, Franck).
Mischa Maisky official website www.mischamaisky.com
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