When acclaimed cellist Patrice Jackson and MSO Conductor Crafton Beck refer to Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, the name quickly becomes “Shosty” – musicians’ shorthand for convenience, surely, but also one of affection it seems.
“When you have a piece as wonderful as some of his symphonies and concertos, you feel like you have a relationship with the man,” Beck said.
For Jackson, an indelible moment has linked them for decades.
The cellist was born in St. Louis but has deep roots and extended family in Mississippi. In high school, Jackson studied with St. Louis Symphony Orchestra cellist Alvin McCall. “When it came to me learning Shosty, he said he wasn’t as familiar with it, but he wanted me to study it with another cellist in the orchestra that just got the job,” she said.
So, she followed up with cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn her junior year. “He had just gotten the St. Louis Symphony job right out of college, which is unheard of, but that just tells you how amazing he is,” said Jackson. “For whatever reason, Mr. McCall thought that he would be better suited to show me the language and teach me the concerto, and he was great.
“My senior year, I was still working on the piece, and I was preparing for my college auditions, but Mr. Mstislav Rostropovich was coming to St. Louis to solo with the symphony, playing Shosty.”
The world-famous Russian cellist, one of the 20th century’s greatest, studied composition with Shostakovich. They were great friends, and the composer dedicated his Cello Concerto No. 1 to Rostropovich.
“For [Rostropovich] to come to St. Louis and to actually get to see him in person, I was like, ‘Whoa!’ And Ilyia was like, ‘And, you’re coming to the concert.’
“Now, I can’t remember if [my dad and I] went to the concert, or if we went to the dress rehearsal. It might have been a dress rehearsal, because after, I was just sitting there with my jaw to the ground. I just couldn’t believe what was happening – it was so amazing!
“Mind you, we didn’t have YouTube at the time. But I grew up listening to his records,” she said, relaying her dad’s tale that he put on a record of Rostropovich playing the Dvořák Cello Concerto when she came home from the hospital as a newborn.
“When Mr. Rostropovich was done, my dad said, ‘We have to go down there and meet him.’ I was like, ‘uh, un uh….,’ Mr. Rostropovich was a big dude!” Jackson said, chuckling fondly at the memory. “He’s, like, a rock star in the music world. But he’s also – I mean, I’m short, I’m 5-foot-1 – everybody is big to me! He was probably a good 5-10, 6-feet tall. … And, he had huge hands!”
“Nope, we’re going,” her dad insisted. They walked onto the stage, where musicians clustered around Rostropovich, trying to introduce themselves. Somehow, her dad got through the crowd, and she stood there, her Shostakovich sheet music part in her hand, staring at Rostropovich in awe.
“Next thing you know, he took my part, and he signed it. And that’s the part that I’m still using to this day, and it says, ‘To Patrice, my colleague. M. Rostropovich. 1999.’
“I held the music like it was the last thing I could hold onto on Earth. And then I was also in shock that he shook my hand, so I was like, ‘I’m never going to wash my hand again!’ That was amazing.”
She paused, savoring the memory. “Even now, telling this story again, it’s just bringing nostalgic memories back. I can’t believe it happened!”
Patrice Jackson will be in the capital city a week and a half in November, teaching classes and performing in two MSO concerts:
See her on November 10 at a Chamber Series “Symphony in the Community” matinee featuring her arrangements of soulful spirituals, at Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, the faith home of her family for generations. Then engage in conversation with her and other performers after the concert.
Don’t miss her on November 16 at the Bravo Series concert “Emotional Depths” at Jackson Prep’s Fortenberry Theatre and McRae Stage. MSO’s flagship Bravo Series, made possible by the Selby and Richard McRae Foundation, features full orchestra and standout works of the classical canon. Jackson’s spotlight in Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 is the heart of an evening that includes Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, Sibelius’ Valse Triste and Schumann’s Symphony No. 4.
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Reminder: New Venue
Jackson Prep’s Fortenberry Theatre and McRae Stage — 3100 Lakeland Drive, Flowood, MS 39232 — is the location for MSO’s “Emotional Depths” concert at 7:30 p.m. on November 16, 2024. Seating is general admission with a reserved section for Conductor, Connoisseur, and Loge season ticket holders.