Henri Dutilleux has died. His work as a musician and composer is, and like Stravinsky, will remain a pinnacle of accomplishment from our time; and given how long his creativity lasted, it is fair to say his achievements span multiple generations.
I had the great fortune of working with both of these great men. In my [...]
Sometimes we are caught unawares just how much someone meant to us over the years. While I intended to use a recent opportunity to offer tribute to the great Janos Starker after a performance with the Detroit Symphony this last weekend, it was during the 43 minutes of playing the Dvořák concerto that I began [...]
There comes a time in each of our lives when we take stock of our past, present, and future and this is exactly how I’ve spent the past year with one vitally important aspect of my life and career. It is with these thoughts that I have recently decided to part ways with my best [...]
There are very few people and musicians with whom I have worked and developed a friendship in the last 50 years as dear as my friendship with James DePreist. For me, he represented the kind of man, warm, giving, caring and honest person that one simply loved being in the presence of. Those rare and [...]
I recently composed and sent the following letter to the Los Angeles Unified School District in response to the proposal that all art and music be eliminated from elementary education. Of course, if you’re here to begin with, you likely know why this is preposterous, regardless of budget demands. But I still felt I should publish my [...]
One of the reasons, I believe, that I was interested in the cello from a very young age is the fact that the cello is an ensemble instrument; we play with others. Later, when I wanted to be a professional musician it was because I loved the music so much; it uplifted my spirit, it [...]
One thing that has always irked me whenever I give Master classes at different conservatories and Universities while on tour. And it is starting to concern me more deeply than before. What is that you ask? It’s a seemingly deliberate disregard for how a composer has marked his music. For example, directions and hints to [...]
