Our last post featured some of the most famous pieces for the cello. We wanted to follow that up with featuring the people who have made those pieces famous — the cellists who played them! This list features famous cello players from around the world and from the late nineteenth century through today. We’re sticking with classical cellists and limiting this list to just five of the most famous cellists. There are many more famous cellists out there and even more amazing cellists out there! Start with any one of these YouTube videos and you can go down the rabbit hole and find your new favorite cellist. These famous cellists are listed in order of birth year.
1. Pablo Casals – A Catalan cellist, many consider Casals the father of modern cello playing. He had a long career (he played in the White House for both Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Kennedy) and was also thought to revive the popularity of the Bach Suites. Casals is closely linked to the Catalan folk tune “Cant Del Ocells” or Song of the Birds. As a supporter of the Spanish republic, he lived in exile once Franco came to power. He would begin concerts with this piece during his exile. A beautiful and haunting song.
2. Janos Starker – A beast on the cello. Watching him play the Kodaly Sonata will make you want to go and practice! From Budapest, he survived World War II (although both his brothers were killed in concentration camps) and eventually settled in the United States and had a long career as cello professor at Indiana University. His excellence in both playing and teaching (as well as the length of his career) paved the way for many cellists. Take a listen to the Third Movement of the Kodaly Sonata below.
3. Mstislav Rostropovich – This Russian cellist was active during the second half of the 20th century and first few years of the 21st. He premiered several famous cello pieces, many due to his collaboration with several Russian composers. Both of Shostakovich’s concertos were written for and premiered by Rostropovich, as were pieces by Prokofiev, Britten, and many others.
4. Jacqueline Du Pre – Sadly, Du Pre had a short life and an even shorter cello career. She stopped performing when she was 28 and only lived until age 42 due to multiple sclerosis. One of the pieces she’s most closely associated with is the Elgar Cello Concerto.
5. Yo-Yo Ma – You’ve probably heard of him! Arguably the most famous living cellist. He plays all over the world and although Ma plays a lot of classical music, he also plays many other types of music, including that with his Silk Road Ensemble. The video below is of the Silk Road Ensemble, just to mix it up a bit.