Born in 1948 in Riga, Latvia, Mischa Maisky begins his first music lessons
in Riga, where he attends the Children’s Music School and Conservatory. In
1962 he enters the Leningrad Conservatory. In 1965 his debut with the Leningrad
Philharmonic earns him the nickname “Rostropovich of the Future”. One year
later he becomes prizewinner at the International Tchaikovsky Competition
in Moscow and begins his studies with Rostropovich at the Moscow Conservatory
while pursuing a concert career throughout the former Soviet Union. After
being imprisoned in a labour camp near Gorky for 18 months in 1970, he emigrates
from the USSR.
●1973
Settles in Israel; having won the 1973 Gaspar Cassado´ International Cello Competition
in Florence, makes his debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall with the Pittsburgh
Symphony Orchestra under William Steinberg; after the concert an anonymous
admirer gives him an 18th-century Montagnana cello on which he still performs
today
●1974
Studies with the legendary Gregor Piatigorsky, thus becoming the only cellist
to have studied with both Piatigorsky and Rostropovich
●1975
Beginning of his international career, with regular concerts throughout the
United States, Europe, Australia and the Far East, especially in Japan
●1976
London concerto debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
●1977
London recital debut with pianist Radu Lupu
●1982
First recording for Deutsche Grammophon: Brahms’s Double Concerto with Gidon
Kremer and the Wiener Philharmoniker under Leonard Bernstein
●1985
Signs his first exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon; records Schumann’s
Concerto with Bernstein and the Wiener Philharmoniker (released 1986); two
important CD Bach releases this year: the Cello (Gamba) Sonatas with Martha
Argerich and Maisky’s first recording of the Six Solo Suites
●1989
CD releases include recordings of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto and Bloch’s Schelomo
with Leonard Bernstein and the Israel Philharmonic (Record Academy Prize, Tokyo
1989)
●1992
First appearance at the Proms in London; released on CD this year: Adagio,
an anthology of Romantic pieces, with the Orchestre de Paris under Semyon Bychkov
●1993
Gives a recital with Martha Argerich, one of his most important musical partners,
at the Salzburg Festival
●1995
Returns to Moscow for the first time after a 23-year absence to give a concert
and to record works by Prokofiev and Miaskovsky for DG with Mikhail Pletnev
and the Russian National Orchestra; CD release this year: a coupling of Vivaldi
and Boccherini concertos with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Echo Award 1996)
●1997
CD releases include a Tchaikovsky disc with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and
Songs Without Words by Brahms (with Pavel Gililov)
●1998
Appears together with Martha Argerich and Gidon Kremer in Tokyo performing
piano trios by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky (recorded live by DG and released
in 1999, Echo Award 2000); CD releases: Cellissimo with pianist Daria Hovora,
a collection of shorter pieces spanning the centuries from Bach to Bloch; and
a Saint-Saëns selection with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Daria Hovora
(Echo Award 1999)
●1999
CD releases: a French collection entitled Après un rêve (with Daria Hovora),
the Brahms Sonatas (with Pavel Gililov) and his second recording of the Bach
Suites, which receives wide critical acclaim
●2000
Dedicates the year mostly to Johann Sebastian Bach, beginning with a “Bach
Marathon” in Zurich, where he plays all of Bach’s works for cello (the Solo
Suites and Sonatas with harpsichord) in three concerts on a single day, and
giving over 100 Bach concerts in Asia, Australia, North and South America,
and in most European countries
●2001
A recording of Maisky and Argerich Live in Japan (sonatas by Chopin, Franck
and Debussy) is released this year
●2002
Recitals with Martha Argerich at Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center; trio recital
with Martha Argerich and Gidon Kremer at Carnegie Hall; duo recital with Sergio
Tiempo at the Salzburg Festival. CD release of Mendelssohn’s Cello Sonatas
with pianist Sergio Tiempo
●2003
Appearances include concerts and recitals at the festivals of Verbier, Dubrovnik
and Torroella, as well as throughout western and eastern Europe; a tour of
the Far East (Dvořák Concerto) followed by a European tour
●2004
Appearances in Rome with Chung and the Orchestra di Santa Cecilia, in London
with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and in Paris with the Orchestre Philharmonique
de Radio France; extensive performances of the Dvořák Concerto, including a
tour with the Czech Philharmonic; on tour in Japan with the Prague Radio Symphony
Orchestra; recitals and chamber music appearances in Europe, the USA, Korea,
Japan and at the Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein and Salzburg festivals; CD releases:
Dvořák and Strauss, with Mehta and the Berliner Philharmoniker (Record Academy
Prize, Tokyo, 2003), and chamber music by Brahms and Schumann, with Argerich,
Kremer and Bashmet (Record Academy Prize 2003)
●2005
Concert appearances throughout Western and Eastern Europe with orchestras including
the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic,
Netherlands Philharmonic, North German Radio Symphony (NDR) and Kremerata Baltica;
benefit concert for Asian tsunami victims in January with Thomas Quasthoff
at Vienna’s Musikverein; other recitals and chamber music appearances in Europe,
Israel and Japan, and at the Lugano, Ludwigsburg, Rheingau, Dubrovnik and Verbier
festivals; CD release: live recording of Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Stravinsky
with Martha Argerich
●2006
Maisky’s busy schedule takes him again to western and eastern Europe for concerts
with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Dresdner Philharmonic, Orchestra Sinfonica
Nazionale della RAI, Czech Philharmonic, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Concertgebouw
Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Kremerata
Baltica, and to Japan for concerts with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony and
Osaka Century orchestras. Solo and chamber-music recitals (including Bach Goldberg
Variations) in Italy, China, South Africa, Israel, and Japan; appearances at
festivals including Verbier, Dubrovnik, and Utrecht. He performs his programme
of “Russian Romances” throughout Europe, accompanied by either Pavel Gililov
or Lily Maisky at the piano. January sees the CD release of Vocalise − Russian
Romances (with Pavel Gililov)
●2007
Concerto performances include appearances with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra,
Thailand Philharmonic, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Symphony
(Dvořák), the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini (Schumann), the Viennese Radio Symphony
Orchestra (Hindemith), BBC Philharmonic (R. Strauss) and the English Chamber
Orchestra (Tchaikovsky). Chamber-music recitals with Pavel Gililov, Sergio
Tiempo, Itamar Golan, Lily Maisky and Julian Rachlin throughout Europe, in
Japan and Korea. His recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (with Julian Rachlin
and Nobuko Imai) is scheduled for international release at the beginning of
the year |
