Born in 1948 in Riga, Latvia, Mischa Maisky received his first music lessons there at the Children’s Music School and Conservatory. In 1962 he entered the Leningrad Conservatory. In 1965 his debut with the Leningrad Philharmonic earned him the nickname “Rostropovich of the Future”. One year later he was a prizewinner at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and began 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 emigrated from the USSR.
1973
Settles in Israel; wins the 1973 Cassadó Competition in Florence; 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
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); on CD: Bach’s Cello Sonatas with Martha Argerich and Bach’s Six Solo Suites
1989
Releases include Dvorák’s Cello Concerto and Bloch’s Schelomo with Leonard Bernstein and the Israel Philharmonic
1992
First appearance at the Proms in London; CD: Adagio, Romantic pieces with the Orchestre de Paris under Semyon Bychkov
1995
Returns to Moscow for the first time in 23 years to give a concert and to record works by Prokofiev and Miaskovsky with Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra; CD release: Vivaldi and Boccherini concertos with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
1997
Releases include a Tchaikovsky disc with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Songs Without Words by Brahms
1998
Appears with Argerich and Kremer in Tokyo performing piano trios by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky (recorded live); Releases: the anthology Cellissimo with pianist Daria Hovora and Saint-Saëns with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Daria Hovora
1999
On CD: Après un rêve; the Brahms Sonatas and his second recording of the Bach Suites
2000
“Bach Marathon” in Zurich playing all of Bach’s works for cello in three concerts on one day; over 100 Bach concerts worldwide
2001
CD release: Maisky and Argerich Live in Japan
2002
Recitals with Argerich at Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center; with pianist Sergio Tiempo at the Salzburg Festival; trio recital with Argerich and Kremer at Carnegie Hall. On CD: Mendelssohn’s Cello Sonatas with Tiempo
2004
Appearances with Santa Cecilia, the Royal Philharmonic and Radio France Philharmonic orchestras; tour with the Czech Philharmonic; on tour in Japan with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra; recitals and chamber appearances in Europe, the USA, Korea, Japan and at various festivals. On CD: Dvorák and Strauss with Mehta and the Berliner Philharmoniker; chamber music by Brahms and Schumann with Argerich, Kremer and Bashmet
2005
Concert appearances throughout Europe and in Japan. Benefit concert for Asian tsunami victims with Thomas Quasthoff at Vienna’s Musikverein. Release: live recording of Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Stravinsky with Martha Argerich
2006
Appearances in Europe include concerts with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Dresden Philharmonic, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic and Kremerata Baltica. Solo and chamber-music recitals (including Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Solo Suites) in Italy, China, South Africa, Israel and Japan. Performs “Russian Romances” throughout Europe, accompanied by Pavel Gililov or Lily Maisky. Release: Vocalise – Russian Romances (with Gililov)
2007
Performances include appearances with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Thailand Philharmonic, the Shanghai, Barcelona and Prague Symphony Orchestras (all Dvorák). Chamber music with Argerich and Renaud Capuçon (Progetto Martha Argerich), Gililov, Tiempo, Kremer (Salzburg Festival), Hélène Grimaud (Verbier Festival), Itamar Golan, Lily Maisky and Julian Rachlin in Europe and the Far East. CD-release of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. On DVD: Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello; a special release of works by Haydn and Schumann, with the Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Bernstein, in celebration of Maisky’s 60th birthday; Brahms’s Double Concerto with the Wiener Philharmoniker and Bernstein
2008
World premiere of Yusupov’s Cello Concerto with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under Yuri Temirkanov in Lucerne. Concerts with the Dresden Staatskapelle and Moscow Virtuosi; tours of Israel and Mexico with the Israel Philharmonic and with the Dresden Philharmonic to South Korea. Chamber music, mainly with Argerich, Lily Maisky and Gililov, in Europe and Asia. Release of Elégie, a selection of works by Rachmaninov arranged by Maisky and performed with pianist Sergio Tiempo
2009
Concerts with the Philharmonic orchestras of Radio France, Munich, London, Copenhagen, Oslo and St. Petersburg; chamber music with pianists Lily Maisky, Gililov and Golan; festival appearances at Verbier, Salzburg, Bucharest (Enesco), Utrecht (International Chamber Music) and Beijing. Released this year: Morgen, featuring chamber music by Richard Strauss and Dvorák, with Pavel Gililov, and Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov Piano Trios, with Vadim Repin and Lang Lang
2010
European tour with the Moscow Virtuosi; Riga concert and Japan tour with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra; concert appearances including the Basle Chamber, Royal Flanders Philharmonic and Salzburg Mozarteum orchestras, Trondheim Soloists, National Symphony orchestras of Washington and Kazakhstan; recitals with Martha Argerich, Lily Maisky, as well as programmes featuring Bach’s solo suites; festivals including the Israel Chamber Music in Eilat, Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano, Schumann 200 in Lucerne, plus Verbier, Salzburg, Dubrovnik and Utrecht
2011
World premiere of Shchedrin’s double concerto Romantic Offering with Martha Argerich and the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Järvi, in Lucerne and on tour; concert in The Hague and German tour with Järvi and the Hague Residentie Orchestra; further concerts with the Royal Philharmonic, Prague Chamber, Montreal Symphony, Danish National Symphony and Hamburg Philharmonic orchestras plus the Israel Camerata and Kremerata Baltica; chamber music including the Bach suites and recitals featuring pianists Lily Maisky, Martha Argerich, Lang Lang, Itamar Golan and violinists Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin, Gidon Kremer, Julian Rachlin and Sascha Maisky; festivals including Progetto Martha Argerich, Turgutreis International Classic (Bodrum, Turkey), Musica Mundi (Genval, Belgium), and Tsar’s Village Music (St. Petersburg), as well as Verbier, Salzburg and Dubrovnik. Released this year (and on tour in Germany, Austria, Spain and the Far East): ¡España!, songs and dances from Spain with Lily Maisky
2012
Plans include a North American tour with the Moscow Soloists, concerts with the Los Angeles, Bremen, Belgrade and Monte-Carlo Philharmonic orchestras, as well as the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and Wintherthur Musikkollegium; chamber music with Lily and Sascha Maisky plus Bach suites; festival appearances in Schwetzingen, Verbier, Piatigorksy Cello (Los Angeles) and Storioni (Tilburg, Netherlands)
10/2011