Cello

October 15, 2024
Kennedy (Dweller in Shadows: A Life of Ivor Gurney, 2021) is also a cellist, and when an injury affected her ability to play, she writes, "I realized that I needed to find out what the cello, and its absence, had meant to other cellists, in order to understand what it meant to me." This book is the result, in which Kennedy tells the stories of four cellists: P�l Hermann, a Jewish composer and cellist murdered by the Nazis, who played an 18th century instrument made by Nicol� Gagliano, now lost; Lise Cristiani, acknowledged as the first female cello soloist, who played a Stradivari instrument now considered the world's most valuable cello; Anita Lasker Wallfisch, who survived Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen by playing an instrument made by Lorenzo Ventapane, now lost; and Amadeo Baldovino, the cellist in the Trio di Trieste, who played a Stradivari cello, the "Mara," which was washed away in a shipwreck. Impeccably researched, gracefully written, and full of insight, this book will resonate with musicians and music lovers.

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October 18, 2024

Cellist and music critic Kennedy (Oxford Centre for Life-Writing; Dweller in Shadows) focuses this group biography on four cellists: P�l Hermann, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, Lise Cristiani, and Amedeo Baldovino. Sleuthing in both official archives and memorabilia, she pieces their stories together. Her book shows that during the Holocaust, Nazis likely killed Hermann (1902-44), a Hungarian Jewish man. Lasker-Wallfisch, age 99, survived the Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz concentration camps, mainly due to being a cellist in the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz. Cristiani (1827-53), the first woman professional cello soloist, died penniless, but she had a Stradivarius, considered to be one of the most expensive (and finest) brand of string instruments. That's what she played when she performed all around Russia and died from cholera while on that tour. Baldovino (1916-98) played on a "Mara" Stradivarius, but his was lost during a shipwreck and later miraculously recovered and repaired. Kennedy weaves her own experiences into the narrative by describing the times she played her own cello at various sites where her subjects performed many years ago. VERDICT This distinctive title gives readers vivid insight into the lives of four fascinating cellists. It also pays homage to the uniqueness of cellos.--Ellen Gilbert

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