This book will explore the career of renowned cellist Aldo Parisot, using first hand interviews with him and his wife Elizabeth as well as material from written sources. The book will stress Mr. Parisot's solo career, and will also touch upon his teaching career. My argument will be that Parisot is an extraordinary cellist with a creative bent. Not only was he an exceptional interpreter of what composers put on paper, but he also made creative suggestions to composers with regard to how their music might be more effective on the cello and more effective in general. Composers such as Villa-Lobos and Martino tailored their work to his cellistic personality, and Parisot sometimes made suggestions having to do with composition along the way—for example, that Villa-Lobos in his Second Cello Concerto write a slow movement similar to what he had done in his Bachianas. When he was playing works that had already been composed, such as the Barber Sonata, his input was valued and he was given a certain freedom of interpretation.

He was noted equally for his lyrical performance and faultless intonation when performing traditional music and for his astonishing performance of contemporary music of the greatest difficulty. His interests ranged from Baroque cello music to contemporary music, and he collaborated on contemporary works of both Brazilian and American composers. We will show the arc and the success of his career by using newspaper reviews, magazine articles, and the spoken word of those who have worked with him.

He also has distinguished himself, as his colleague János Starker wrote to me in the few words that precede this book, as “the best cello teacher of our time.” His Yale Cellos is a world-class ensemble that has attained a level of excellence shared by few. His master classes were described by critic Alan Rich of New York Magazine as “an object of pilgrimage.” My purpose here will be to explore and document his activities as performer and teacher, while trying to convey a sense of who he is as a man: his dedication, strength, and generosity.