Jacqueline du Pré

English classical cellist

• Born: January 26, 1945
• Birthplace: Oxford, England
• Died: October 19, 1987
• Place of death: London, England

Du Pré’s heartfelt cello performances and recordings charmed audiences and influenced other cellists. Suffering from multiple sclerosis, du Pré impressed the world with her courage, and she heightened public awareness of the autoimmune disease that cut short her career and her life.

The Life

Jacqueline Mary du Pré (zhahk-LEEN doo-PRAY) was the second child born to Derek and Iris du Pré. At age four, she asked to play the cello, and she began private study with Alison Dalrymple. In 1955 du Pré began studying with William Pleeth, and while under his tutelage, she was awarded the Suggia Gift, a scholarship for young cellists. Although du Pré was extremely gifted, she did not like school, and her parents frequently allowed her to miss classes in order to practice.

In 1960 du Pré won the prestigious Queen’s Prize, and she participated in master classes with Pablo Casals. She made her professional debut at Wigmore Hall in 1961, and in 1962 she made her orchestral debut, playing Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In that same year she began recording with EMI Records. During these early years of her career, besides playing solo and chamber-music recitals, du Pré studied for brief periods with Paul Tortelier and Mstislav Rostropovich.

Du Pré met pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim in 1966, and the two musicians were married in Israel in 1967. For the next few years, they performed around the world and recorded together. In 1971 du Pré began to experience bewildering physical symptoms, including numbness and extreme fatigue, that forced her to curtail her performance schedule. Finally, in 1973, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Du Pré’s condition rapidly deteriorated, and by 1975 she was bound to a wheelchair, remaining musically active by giving lessons and master classes. Tragically, at just forty-two years old, du Pré lost her battle with multiple sclerosis on October 19, 1987.

The Music

Despite the brevity of her playing career, du Pré performed and recorded the majority of the standard cello repertoire along with select contemporary works. In addition to Elgar’s work, du Pré frequently performed the cello concerti of Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Antonìn Dvořák, Franz Joseph Haydn, and Camille Saint-Saëns. She recorded all of these concerti (among others) for EMI Records.

Du Pré also enjoyed playing chamber music. In 1964 she formed a successful duo with pianist Stephen Bishop; critics especially admired the duo’s interpretation of the Beethoven cello sonatas. Once she met Barenboim, however, du Pré preferred to play chamber music with him. For nearly five years, Barenboim and du Pré regularly performed together, often as a duo, but also as a trio with violinist Pinchas Zukerman.

Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85. Over the course of her career, du Pré performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto more than any other. She first became acquainted with the concerto in her lessons with Pleeth when she was thirteen years old. The teenage cellist was so taken with the work, she purportedly memorized the first movement and half of the second movement in just two days. When du Pré performed this concerto in her orchestral debut concert, critics and audience members alike were stunned by her mature interpretation. Elgar composed his Cello Concerto at the end of World War I. Perhaps not surprisingly, the concerto evokes a sense of poignant tragedy, which du Pré, despite her tender age, was able to vividly capture in her playing.

Du Pré first recorded this concerto with Sir John Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra in 1965. This legendary recording offers a spectacular demonstration of her daring and uninhibited style. Du Pré rerecorded the concerto with Barenboim and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1971. This later recording, spliced from two live performances in Philadelphia, reveals even further self-indulgence on du Pré’s part, especially in terms of rubato. Yet this extraordinary sense of freedom is grounded by solid technique, a combination that made du Pré’s performances of the concerto awe-inspiring.

Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129. Du Pré was also admired for her interpretation of the Schumann Cello Concerto. She first performed this concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1962. Composed after Schumann had begun to suffer from mental illness, this concerto is, like Elgar’s, a rather somber work. In her 1968 recording with Barenboim and the New Philharmonia Orchestra, du Pré’s playing is more disciplined and structured than was typical of her live performances of the work. Nonetheless, the performance is full of emotional intensity.

Brahms’s Sonatas for Cello and Piano. In her chamber-music recitals with Bishop and Barenboim, du Pré frequently performed the two Brahms cello sonatas. She and Barenboim recorded both sonatas in 1968, and this recording offers a glimpse into the couple’s passionate musical relationship. In the first sonata, which Brahms composed in 1866 and which shows the clear influence of Ludwig van Beethoven, du Pré and Barenboim are flexible with their tempi, yet they are always perfectly synchronized. The duo aptly expresses both the somber and heroic sides of the E minor sonata. The second sonata, in F major and composed in 1886, has a more tempestuous character and is more technically demanding, but both players are up to the challenge. Du Pré and Barenboim create a convincing and expressive dialogue between their instruments, perfect for such intimate chamber pieces.

Musical Legacy

Du Pré’s inspiring performances and recordings of the Elgar concerto are largely responsible for the integration of this piece into the mainstream cello repertoire. Her free and innovative technique (including her frequent slides and unconventional fingerings) also opened up new possibilities for different playing styles. Such world-renowned cellists as Steven Isserlis and Yo-Yo Ma have acknowledged her influence. While some critics found her rather physical approach to performance excessively mannered and distracting, none could deny her innate musical genius. In recognition of the honor and distinction she brought England through her music, du Pré was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1976.

Principal Recordings

albums:A Jacqueline du Pré Recital, 1962; Elgar: Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85; Sea Pictures, Op. 37, 1965; Delius: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, 1966; Beethoven: Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69; Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2, 1967; Haydn: Concerto in D Major, Op. 101, 1969; Brahms: Sonatas for Cello and Piano, 1968; Schumann: Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129, 1970; Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104; Silent Woods: Adagio for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68, 1971; Impressions, 1988.

Bibliography

Du Pré, Hilary, and Piers du Pré. A Genius in the Family: An Intimate Memoir of Jacqueline du Pré. London: Chatto & Windus, 1997. These memoirs, written by du Pré’s siblings, were used as the basis for the 1998 film Hilary and Jackie.

Easton, Carol. Jacqueline du Pré: A Biography. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2000. This biography emphasizes du Pré’s private life more than her public musical life.

Keener, Andrew. “The Cello Concerto: Jacqueline du Pré’s Recordings.” In Elgar: An Anniversary Portrait. London: Continuum, 2007. In this chapter, Keener discusses du Pré’s special relationship with Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and he compares her eight extant recordings.

Wilson, Elizabeth. Jacqueline du Pré. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1998. This thorough biography emphasizes du Pré’s musical achievements. The author is a cellist and was personally acquainted with du Pré.

Wordsworth, William, ed. Jacqueline du Pré: Impressions. London: Grenada, 1983. Contains tributes to du Pré by friends and colleagues. Includes photographs and reviews of her performances.