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Misha MayskyiCellist
Country:
 Israel |
Content:
Biography of Misha Maisky
Early Life and EducationMisha Maisky, a Soviet and Israeli cellist, was born on January 10, 1948, in Riga. He studied alongside Mikhail Baryshnikov. After winning the All-Union Competition of Performers in 1965, he was invited by Mstislav Rostropovich to continue his studies at the Moscow Conservatory. The following year, he became a laureate of the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition.
Persecution and Repatriation
After his sister Lina Yakobson emigrated to Israel in 1969, Maisky faced persecution by the authorities. In 1970, he was falsely accused of speculation and sentenced to over a year of forced labor in the city of Dzerzhinsk, Gorky Oblast. To avoid military service, he spent an additional two months in a psychiatric hospital. Finally, in 1972, he obtained permission to repatriate to Israel.
International Career
Maisky studied under Gregor Piatigorsky in Los Angeles, becoming the only musician to have studied with both Piatigorsky and Rostropovich. In 1973, he took second place (no first prize was awarded) at the Cassadó International Competition in Florence. That same year, Pablo Casals heard him perform at the Israel Festival and gave him several lessons. In 1974, upon the recommendation of Isaac Stern, Maisky became a fellow of the "America-Israel Cultural Foundation" and moved to the United States. He participated in Rudolf Serkin's chamber festival and then studied with Gregor Piatigorsky in Los Angeles for four months. He then embarked on an active concert career, performing solo concerts worldwide, including in London, Paris, Berlin, New York, Vienna, Amsterdam, and Tokyo. He collaborated with Leonard Bernstein and made several recordings with him.
Current Life
Currently, Maisky resides in Belgium. Throughout his career, he has performed with renowned musicians such as pianists Martha Argerich and Radu Lupu, violinists Gidon Kremer and Maxim Vengerov, conductors Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, and Giuseppe Sinopoli, as well as violist and conductor Yuri Bashmet. In 1995, after a 23-year hiatus, Maisky returned to Moscow for a concert and subsequently toured Russia several times. In 1997, he concluded the festival "D.D. Shostakovich and World Music Culture" with his concert. Maisky's powerful and expressive performances have garnered critical acclaim worldwide.
