Piatigorsky escaped from Soviet Russia in 1921 after being refused permission to travel abroad, losing his cello in the process.
Performer Biography
Gregor Piatigorsky, a renowned cellist, was born in Ekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk), Ukraine, in 1903 and began playing the cello at age seven.
Performer Biography
In 1924, Piatigorsky became the principal cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic, which was being rebuilt by conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler.
Performer Biography
Piatigorsky collaborated with many famous musicians, including Artur Schnabel, Carl Flesch, Nathan Milstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Artur Rubinstein, Jascha Heifetz, and Igor Stravinsky.
Recording & Production
The last two tracks on this album are from V-discs, which were recordings made for the U.S. armed forces during World War II.
Instruments
Throughout his career, Piatigorsky owned several notable cellos, including a Montagnana he called 'The Sleeping Princess' and three Stradivarius instruments: the 'Lord Aylesford', the 'Batta', and the 'Baudiot'.
Interpretation
Piatigorsky pioneered a type of vibrato used to project sound to the farthest corners of large halls, an approach he passed on to his students.
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