Gutman

Natalia Gutman

The renowned Russian cellist, whose new disc of Poulenc, Myaskovsky and Britten is out this month, gave a rare interview to fellow cellist ALEXANDER BOYARSKY. He began by asking about her influences.

Photo: Accidents happen: Gutman changing a string in performance

"...It’s difficult to say who has influenced me the most – at different stages of one’s life one tends to look to different idols for different types of inspiration. First there’s my mother, a talented pianist who after the Second World War was permitted to borrow an upright piano. I used to admire all the music she played, and when I hear it now I feel nostalgic. Then there’s my stepfather, the cellist Roman Sapozhnikov. He bought me a small cello and started teaching me for fun. Of course, the fun was later to turn into something more serious, because I decided to play the instrument for the rest of my life. Finally, there are my cello teachers, all of whom gave me something.I practised without any sense of direction until I was 14 years old, at which point I started to search for musical guidance. Isaac Stern was the first to create a big impression, during his visit to Moscow. I managed to get into his concerts without tickets, and I can remember to this day the atmosphere in that hall, his inimitable sound, the beauty and freedom of his playing. Six months later I heard the pianist Sviatoslav Richter and fell in love with not only his playing but also his special personality. I never missed any of his Moscow concerts and got to know his repertoire really well.When I was 14 my grandfather, the violinist Anisim Berlin, who had been a student of Leopold Auer and concertmaster of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra for many years, started to teach me twice a week. He taught me for four years – and he was a great teacher. For many years, until I graduated from the Moscow Conservatoire, I also studied with Galina Kozolupova, and I attended Rostropovich’s concerts, which were a real education. I admired Rostropovich and entered his postgraduate class."