Blog

By: Brandon Chiat, Digital Media Manager

One of history's most renowned cellists has a unique connection to Beth El.

As a performer, Gregor Piatigorsky helped the cello emerge as a prominent solo instrument with his colorful and expressive musical style. Piatigorsky's artistic flare created a rare musical excitement which left an indelible impression on all those who heard him, not to mention those performers fortunate enough to study under him. The master's proteges count themselves among the most accomplished contemporary cellists.

Evan Drachman, the recitalist performing at this week's First Wednesdays concert, bears a special relation to Piatigorsky. All of Mr. Drachman's teachers were students of Piatigorsky, and he is the grandson of the legendary cellist.

"One of my earliest memories is sitting at my grandfather's feet as he played for me," Mr. Drachman said of the special connection he shared with his grandfather. “He was a monumental influence on me, not only as a musician but, more importantly, as a human being.”   

It did not take long for Mr. Drachman to inherit his grandfather's talent. “My grandfather used to say to me: Once you have tasted the blood of music there is no turning back,” Mr. Drachman said.

Interestingly, Piatgorsky's own children never “tasted the blood of music” as his grandson clearly has. Often in musical families, the craft is passed down from parent to child. While that was not the case for Piatigorsky - who, despite his prodigious talent, struggled to earn a living as a musician and wanted to spare his children from the challenging and lonely life of a traveling performer - it is true for one of Beth El's musical families.

“My father Abraham was one of the most respected and talented cellists in the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra,” said Dr. Eyal Bor, Director of Education and the Rabbi Mark G. Loeb Center for Lifelong Learning. “Just as my father served in the British Army as a musician, so too did I begin my musical career in the Israeli Defense Force.”

Like Piatigorsky, Abraham Bor was born in the former Soviet Union. Both began playing the cello at a young age, and both left their homeland in search of creative freedom. Dr. Bor's father made aliyah in 1922. At that time, Israel was a British Mandate and many Jews served in the British Army. Accordingly, Abraham Bor began his career as a professional musician with the British Corps of Army Music, performing across the Middle East including frequent stops in Egypt and Iraq. In 1939, Abraham Bor joined the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra and played with the prestigious ensemble until his retirement in 1976.

“When I grew up, many young Israelis played a musical instrument, especially those children whose parents came from Europe,” Dr. Bor said. “You were expected to practice your instrument for hours every day.”

Like their grandfather and father respectively, Mr. Drachman and Dr. Bor have much in common. Both inherited - and still play - their progenitors' instruments, one of which will be on stage this Wednesday.

“Abraham Bor was the principal cellist of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra during the time my grandfather performed as a guest soloist,” Mr. Drachman explained. “During one performance, my grandfather broke his string, so he quickly switched instruments with Abraham and finished the concert on his cello.”

This Wednesday night, Mr. Drachman will play a piece on that very cello, accompanied by the grandson of its original owner.

“The DNA of three great musicians are on that cello,” Dr. Bor said, referring to his father, Piatigorsky, and Piatigorsky's grandson, Evan Drachman. “My father's neshama (soul) will be on the stage Wednesday night, as one of the world's greatest living cellists performs on the same instrument that my father played for 80 years.”

Connecting the generations through classical music is more than an esoteric vision shared by the world's elite musicians. For Dr. Bor and Mr. Drachman, it's their life's work.

Mr. Drachman is the President, Founder, and Artistic Director of the Piatigorsky Foundation, an organization dedicated to making live classical music an integral part of everyday life for communities throughout the United States. Mr. Drachman's grandfather, for whom the organization is named, believed that music is not a luxury for a select few, but a necessity of life for all.

“Music is essential to human beings,” Mr. Drachman said. “People need music in the same way we need food and shelter.”

To that end, the mission of the Piatigorsky Foundation aligns with Dr. Bor's vision for the First Wednesdays concert series.

“Music is the international language,” Dr. Bor said. “First Wednesdays brings people together around the power of music and exposes them to cultural opportunities they otherwise could not or would not access.”

“Dr. Bor's love of music is profound, and he wants to share that cultural appreciation with the people whom he serves,” Mr. Drachman said. “By organizing the First Wednesdays concerts, he's gone a long way to achieving that goal, and I'm excited to be a part of it.”

Both Mr. Drachman and Dr. Bor hope this latest installment in the First Wednesdays concert series will inspire attendees to rethink their relationship with classical music.

“Classical music is among the deepest and greatest examples of human expression,” Mr. Drachman said. “You can experience classical music on many different levels, but the essence is that it communicates human dreams and emotions.”