Cellist - The Legacy of Gregor Piatigorsky

This is the story of one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century, Ukraine-born Gregor Piatigorsky. His Jewish family experienced pogroms and poverty, but emerged from that darkness through the perfect sounds of a child who knew from a young age that the cello was his destiny. Piatigorsky’s father was a frustrated violinist, but Gregor exhibited extraordinary talent from such an early age that his father knew the boy was destined for greatness and forged his path toward music studies. The family moved to Moscow, where young Gregor became the principal cellist for the Bolshoi at age 15. His tumultuous life continued when he and a group of musicians escaped to Poland and then Berlin. Eventually, the United States became his home, where he married and raised his children; he died there in 1976. Renowned conductors and musicians from Zubin Mehta to Yo-Yo Ma re-create Piatigorsky’s life, along with music researchers and family members.