Mischa Maisky

Mischa Maisky, born in the Soviet Union and later based in Israel, brings to the cello an intensely expressive, romantically inflected manner that extends a long-standing Russian lineage of passionate interpretation. He remains the sole cellist to have worked directly with both Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky, and he has in turn shaped a generation of younger players through his own teaching.

Born January 10, 1948, in Riga, Latvia—then part of the Soviet Union—under the Latvian spelling Miša Maiskis, Maisky grew up alongside his older brother Valery, an organist and harpsichordist. He began cello lessons at eight and enrolled at the Riga Conservatory, yet soon grew restless with its inflexible program. Relocating in 1965 to Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, he quickly distinguished himself, capturing a national cello competition, appearing with the Leningrad Philharmonic, and earning a prize at Moscow’s International Tchaikovsky Competition. Rostropovich, serving on that jury, offered him admission to the Moscow Conservatory as his pupil.

A promising trajectory was interrupted when his sister emigrated to Israel, placing Maisky under political suspicion. Convicted for the minor offense of acquiring a tape recorder on the black market, he spent eighteen months in a labor camp. Upon release he faced conscription but sidestepped military service by admitting himself to a psychiatric facility. Authorities finally permitted his departure to Israel in 1972, provided he repaid the full cost of his Soviet education. Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek secured assistance from American donors, enabling the move; Maisky would not revisit Russia until 1995. He performed with the Israel Philharmonic on tours that included the United States, and while in California he met Piatigorsky, who accepted him as his final student.

During the late 1970s Maisky performed in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and gave well-received recitals alongside pianist Radu Lupu. Over the ensuing years his recital partners grew still more illustrious, encompassing Vladimir Ashkenazy, Martha Argerich, and Gidon Kremer. His accounts of Bach’s solo cello suites drew particular notice; he recorded the cycle for Deutsche Grammophon and, in 2000, presented one hundred Bach performances worldwide, three of them on a single day. He has appeared in concertos under leading conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons, and Gustavo Dudamel.

Maisky has committed the principal cello repertoire to disc for Deutsche Grammophon, issuing new recordings nearly every year. Several projects have featured his daughter, pianist Lily Maisky, among them ¡España! (2011) and 20th Century Classics (2019).