April ‘25

I am tremendously fortunate in my musical life to own and concertise on a beautiful and distinguished cello.  My musical voice resounds through my 1705 Venetian Francesco Goffriller.  The cellos made by both Matteo and Francesco Goffriller have been sought after by the greatest cellists for generations for their sweet sonorous high register and their rich dark low register.  Many of the great recordings of cellists such as Casals, Starker, du Pré and Ma have been made by this family of cellos.   Mine has an extraordinary legacy.  Records from1914 reveal that it was in the hands of the great Russian virtuoso Alexandre Barjansky, whose friendship with Ernest Bloch inspired the writing of one of the most beloved cello concertos, “Schelomo.”   Amongst the many royals, artists and writers in Barjansky’s circle, the most intimate was the great violinist Eugene Ysaÿe, with whom Barjansky spent 3 weeks every year making music.  If only my cello could talk about these times!

In the 1950’s David Soyer of the Guarneri String Quartet owned the cello.  From the early 1960’s it was in the hands of the great Latvian cellist and teacher, Lev Aronson.  As a Jew in Riga he had been forced to give up his 2 Amati cellos, later narrowly escaping from several concentration camps before emigrating to the States after the war, where he subsequently became the principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony.  He acquired the Francesco Goffriller with the financial help from his old teacher Gregor Piatagorsky. Aronson was attached to this cello for the rest of his life and apparently always left one latch of his case open overnight with the comment, “That’s how it can breathe.”

He became one of the great cello teachers, with renowned students such as Lynn Harrell and Ralph Kirshbaum. Every year a cello festival is given in his honour.

There isn’t a moment in my life where I don’t relish opening my case and drawing a sound out of this gorgeous instrument.   It has taught me how to sink in and taste an unending variety of colours.  It also allows me with each bow stroke and each work I play to relive the past and honour those who have expressed their musical voice through this very instrument.