In Wednesday’s (11/16) Boston Globe, Bryan Marquard reports the death of Jules Eskin, longtime principal cellist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, who died Tuesday at age 85 in Brookline, Massachusetts after a long struggle with cancer. “Mr. Eskin became the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s principal cellist in 1964, and his tenure was expansive as the talent he brought to decades of performances from Symphony Hall to China.… Performing under BSO music directors Erich Leinsdorf, Seiji Ozawa, James Levine, and Andris Nelsons, Mr. Eskin was featured as a soloist in pieces including Ernest Bloch’s ‘Schelomo,’ the Brahms Double Concerto, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, William Schuman’s ‘A Song of Orpheus,’ and Richard Strauss’s ‘Don Quixote.’… In 1964, Mr. Eskin also became a founding member of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players.” Trained at the Curtis Institute of Music in his native Philadelphia, and later as a fellowship student at Tanglewood, Eskin began his orchestral career at the Cleveland Orchestra, serving as principal cellist for three years under George Szell. Survivors include his wife, Aza Raykhtsaum, sons Sacha and David, a stepdaughter, and five grandchildren.
A statement on Jules Eskin from the BSO, and a link to an interview with the cellist by BSO podcaster Brian Bell, can be found here.
Posted November 16, 2016
