My Take
Mischa Maisky is the kind of cellist who makes you forget you're listening to a classical concert — you're just watching a man have an intensely personal conversation with his instrument. Born in Riga in 1948, he studied under both Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky, which is essentially the Mt. Rushmore of cello pedagogy, and that lineage shows in every phrase he draws out. What I love about Maisky is that he never sounds polished in the sterile sense; his playing has this gorgeous roughness and emotional weight to it, an almost vocal quality that pulls you in. His Bach cello suites recordings are the ones I'd recommend to anyone who thinks classical music is cold or distant. The Echo Klassik award in 2003 was well deserved, but honestly, the real prize is just hearing him live — long hair flying, completely lost in the music.
Overview
Mischa Maisky (Latvian: Miša Maiskis, Hebrew: מישה מייסקי; né Mikhail Leopoldovich Maysky, Russian: Михаил Леопольдович Майский; born 10 January 1948) is a Soviet-born Israeli cellist.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Mischa Maisky
- Name (Japanese)
- ミッシャ・マイスキー
- Reading
- みっしゃ・まいすきー
- Born
- January 10, 1948 (age 78)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Rat
- Origin
- Riga, Latvia
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- cellist / conductor / music arranger / musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2003 Echo Klassik – Instrumentalist of the Year
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.