Gregor Piatigorsky — cellist with roots in the Russian Empire
Gregor Piatigorsky was a Russian-American cellist born in Ekaterinoslav (now Dnipro, Ukraine) who became one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century. He escaped Soviet Russia by swimming across a river to Poland, eventually reaching Berlin and then the United States, where he spent his career as soloist, chamber musician, and teacher.
Tracing the roots — Ekaterinoslav (Dnipro)
Born in Ekaterinoslav (Russian Empire) in 1903, Piatigorsky played in the Bolshoi Orchestra before escaping Soviet Russia in 1921. His daring flight to freedom, and his subsequent career alongside Heifetz and Rubinstein in one of chamber music's great trios, embodies the story of Russian musical genius transplanted to America.
.svg?width=900)
Ekaterinoslav (Dnipro). At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.
A career defined by ambition
"The cello sings. Your job is not to play it. Your job is to let it sing."