The Archive - J. du Pré & M. Rostropovich

The Archive - J. du Pré & M. Rostropovich

Today’s ‘The Archive’ pays tribute to cello prodigy Jacqueline du Pré, who left an indelible mark on the history of her instrument over the course of her tragically short career. Born into a musical family, Jacqueline Du Pré is seen accompanied on the piano by her mother, in a recording made at the BBC studio, a year after Du Pré had made her official debut at Wigmore Hall in London at age 16. Despite her youth, the qualities that determined Du Pré’s reputation are already noticeable: an intense, quivering and passionate playing style; and an ample, generous sound. They cause us to regret all the more that this remarkable cellist was taken from us too early, succumbing to sickness at the age of 42. After Jacqueline du Pré, we hear one of her teachers, Mstislav Rostropovich, with whom she studied in Moscow. That is why we thought it would be interesting to complete this programme with one of his interpretations of the Variations Beethoven composed to an aria from Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute’. Recorded in Paris in 1970 with Vasso Devetzi, one of his most faithful accompanists throughout his long career, Rostropovich reminds us that, in addition to tirelessly presenting premieres of new scores, he was also a formidable interpreter of classic works from the past.