Eskin, Jules (20th October 1931-15th November 2016)

Cellist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whose dad played cello and taught young Jules his first notes. From 1947 to 1948, he furthered his education at Tanglewood Music Center.

He became a member of the Dallas Symphony in 1948 and took lessons from their principal cellist, Janos Starker. Then he attended the Curtis Institute of Music. His teachers included Pablo Casals, Gregor Piatigorsky, and Leonard Rose.

In 1954, he graduated, won the Walter M. Naumburg prize, and made his debut at New York Town Hall, followed by a European tour. He has also been awarded the Chevalier du Violoncelle by the Eva Janzer Memorial Cello Center.

He joined the Cleveland Orchestra in 1961 as principal cellist and stayed with them until 1964, when he took the same position with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It did not take long for him to make his mark: In 1964, he co-founded the Boston Symphony Chamber Players.

He collaborated with Erich Leinsdorf at Tanglewood on 29^th July 1966 and at Symphony Hall on 30^thSeptember 1966, when he performed Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto.

His discography is extensive, and here are but a handful of highlights: Mad about Romance with Margaret Argerich; Antonin Dvorak: Streichquintett G-Dur, Op. 77, Brahms: String Quintets, Op. 88 & 11, Debussy: Violin Sonata/Cello Sonata/Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp/Syrinx for Solo Flute, John Harbison: Simple Daylight, Leon Kirchner: Concerto for Violin, Cello, Ten Winds and Percussion/Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano/Five Pieces for Piano/Music for 12, Lerdahl: Waltzes/Eros/Fantasy Etudes/Wake, Schoenberg: Suite, Op. 29/Fantasie, Op. 47 and Schubert: Octet with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players; The American Album, Bernstein: Serenade/Barber: Violin Concerto/Foss: American Pieces, Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2/Cello Sonata, Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake/The Nutcracker/Sleeping Beauty and Vivaldi: The Four Seasons with the BSO.

In September 2002, he and Ethan Sloane took the stage at Festival Miami with the University of Miami’s Paul Posnak at the keys.

He showed what a great team player he could be on 21^st April 2005 when guest cellist Alban Gerhardt broke a string during the finale of Schumann’s Cello Concerto. Jules handed off his own instrument to Alban, who continued without missing a beat.

On 14^th July 2010, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players appeared at Ozawa Hall in a program that comprised Bachianas Brasileira No. 6 by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Plain Song, Fantastic Dances by Michael Gandolfi, Quartet for Oboe and Strings in F major, K. 370 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in B minor, Op. 115 by Johannes Brahms.

Jules and violinist Michael Ludwig were the guest soloists with the Buffalo Philharmonic in Art Park on 31^stJuly 2010, when they played Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Cello, which was sandwiched between Ludwig van Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture and Symphony No. 5.

On 17^th October 2010, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players offered up La Cheminee du Roi Rene by Darius Milhaud, Four Madrigals by Bohuslav Martinu, the world premiere of Octet for Eleven by Andre Previn, and Piano Quartet in G minor by Mozart.

In the field of musical education, Jules taught at the Boston University School of Music.

He died of cancer in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 2016 when he was 85 years old.

Here he performs with Alina Polyakov…

Sources:

Eskin, Jules (20th October 1931-15th November 2016)

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