Jacqueline du Pré

Jacqueline du Pré – born in Oxfordshire, England on January 26, 1945 - was a cellist who achieved international fame for her expressive performances of works by composers such as Beethoven, Chopin, Dvorák, Haydn, Schumann and Strauss. She was acclaimed for renditions of pieces by Edward Elgar after she played his cello concerto on her 1962 debut at the Royal Festival Hall with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. She performed and recorded with many great orchestras and conductors around the world including her husband, pianist Daniel Barenboim, with whom she toured with immense success. Jacqueline du Pré learned music from her pianist mother and studied later at the Guildhall School of Music in London. From 1959 she performed in youth concerts, appeared on BBC television and won top prize in the annual competition at Guildhall. She won the Queen's Prize for outstanding musicians under 30 and in 1961, when she was 16, she debuted at Wigmore Hall in London accompanied by Ernest Lush. After her acclaimed Elgar performance with the BBC Orchestra, she played his cello concerto at the BBC Proms with Malcolm Sargent conducting. Jacqueline du Pré performed internationally with stars such as Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman, Zubin Mehta and Pinchas Zukerman. In 1970, the first signs of multiple sclerosis began to show and within two years she was unable to play. In her final performance in February 1973, she played Brahms' Double Concerto with Zukerman and the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Jacqueline du Pré died on October 19, 1987. She was 42 years old. During her brief career, she made many recordings including Grammy Award nominated releases Brahms: Sonatas in E Minor and F Major for Cello and Piano (1969), Dvořák: Concerto in B Minor for Cello (1971), Beethoven: Sonatas for Cello (Complete) (1976), Elgar: Concerto for Cello, Op. 85 (1977) and Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A Minor (1985). Other albums released during her lifetime include Elgar: Cello Concerto – Cello Encores (1967), Dvořák: Adagio for Cello and Orchestra (1971), and Chopin/Franck: Cello Sonatas (1972). Since her forced retirement and subsequent death, there have been many other recordings and re-releases reminding listeners of her enormous talents.

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