Jacqueline du Pre | Artist
Jacqueline Mary du Pré OBE was a British cellist born 1945 in Oxford, England. At a young age she achieved enduring mainstream popularity and, despite her short career, is regarded as one of the greatest cellists of all time. After performing and recording 18 sublime classical albums, her career was cut short by multiple sclerosis, which forced her to stop performing at the age of 28. She died 14 years later at the age of 42. Born the daughter of an accountant father and a concert pianist mother, Jacqueline was quickly recognised as a musical prodigy. At the age of four du Pré is said to have heard the sound of the cello on the radio and asked her mother for "one of those". She began with lessons and enrolled at the London Violoncello School at age five. In 1956, at the age of 11, she won the Guilhermina Suggia Award, which paid for her tuition at the Guildhall School of Music in London, and for private lessons with the celebrated cellist William Pleeth. In 1960 du Pré won the Gold Medal of the Guildhall School and the same year participated in a Pablo Casals masterclass in Switzerland. Pleeth entered her in the Queen's Prize competition for outstanding musicians under 30. The panel, chaired by Yehudi Menuhin unanimously awarded du Pré the prize, and Menuhin subsequently invited her to play trios with him and his sister. In March 1961, at the age of 16, du Pré made her formal début with an accompanist at Wigmore Hall London, playing sonatas by Handel, Brahms, Falla and Bach. She made her concerto début on 21 March 1962 at the Royal Festival Hall playing the Elgar Cello Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Her performances of the Elgar concerto at the Proms proved so popular that she returned three years in succession to perform the work. In 1965, at age 20, du Pré recorded the Elgar Cello Concerto for EMI with the LSO and Sir John Barbirolli, which brought her international recognition. This recording has become a benchmark for the work, and one which has never been out of the catalogue since its release. Other standout releases include the Haydn/Boccherini Concertos (1967), Schumann/Saint-Saëns Concertos (1969), Dvorak Concerto (1971) and the Brahms Sonatas [1968] (2004). Also recommended is the 1989 compilation Favourite Cello Concertos, and du Pre's trio recordings made with husband Daniel Barenboim on piano and Pinchas Zukerman on violin. In 1971, du Pré's playing declined as she began to lose sensitivity in her fingers and other parts of her body. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in October 1973. Her last recording, of sonatas by Chopin and Franck was made in December 1971. Du Pré died in London on 19 October 1987 at age 42, and is buried in Golders Green Jewish Cemetery. In 2021, actress Miriam Margolyes controversially claimed in her memoir "This Much is True" "that du Pré died in an assisted suicide, although Du Pré's husband, Daniel Barenboim, said the claim had "absolutely nothing to do with the reality of Jackie's passing". Jacqueline du Pré still resonates as one of the most recognised and beloved English musicians of all time.
Artist Website: wikipedia/Jacqueline_du_Pre
Featured Albums: Jacqueline du Pre
Related Artists: Daniel Barenboim, Edward Elgar, Dvorak, Brahms, Schumann, Haydn
Collections: Women of Note
