Maurice Gendron
- August 20, 1990
- 69 years
About Maurice Gendron
Maurice Gendron, 69, French cellist.
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Full Biography
|Maurice Gendron (26 December 1920, near Nice – 20 August 1990, Grez-sur-Loing) was a French cellist, conductor and teacher. He is widely considered one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century. He was an Officer of the Legion of Honor and a recipient of the National Order of Merit. He was an active member of the French Resistance during World War II.
Gendron recorded most of the standard concerto repertoire with conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Raymond Leppard, and Pablo Casals (the only cellist to appear on a commercial recording under Casals's baton), and with orchestras such as the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He also recorded the sonata repertoire with pianists such as Philippe Entremont and Jean Françaix. For 25 years he was a member of a celebrated piano trio with Yehudi and Hephzibah Menuhin. He also made a famous recording (earning an Edison Award) of J. S. Bach's solo cello suites.
Gendron played with many musical stars of his time, including Benjamin Britten, Dinu Lipatti and Rudolf Serkin. The 1693 Stradivarius he played, which has become known as the ex-Gendron cello, was subsequently on loan to German cellist Maria Kliegel.
Gendron taught at the Musikhochschule Saarbrücken, the Yehudi Menuhin School and at the Paris Conservatoire. His students include Colin Carr, Chu Yibing and Jacqueline du Pré. In 2013 a former student alleged that Gendron was abusive toward young students during his time at the Yehudi Menuhin School in the '60s and '70s. Richard Hillier, the headmaster at YMS, has said he is aware of the allegations but that according to school documents, no concerns were raised about Gendron's behaviour. Other students of Gendron have described him as a very strict, even problematic teacher, but an influential one.
Gendron was the first modern cellist to record Boccherini's Concerto in B-flat in its original form (he discovered the original manuscript in the Dresden State Library) instead of Grützmacher's version. This recording has been widely acclaimed by critics and is considered a classic. He gave the first Western performance of Prokofiev's Cello Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Walter Susskind, and was subsequently given exclusive rights to the piece's performance for 3 years.
His approach to cello playing is summed up in his book "L'Art du Violoncelle", written in collaboration with Walter Grimmer and published in 1999 by Schott [ED 9176; ISMN M-001-12682-3].
Gendron is the father of the actor François-Éric Gendron.
Apart from several other currently available recordings, in 2015 Decca launched a 14-CD boxset, "L’Art de Maurice Gendron" (catalogue number 4823849), which comprises all his recordings for Decca and Philips in addition to some of his most relevant work for EMI.
Links
- [1] Maurice Gendron 1961, touring Southern Africa
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Gendron
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
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- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Maurice Gendron's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what year was the 14-CD boxset 'L’Art de Maurice Gendron' launched by Decca?
- A.1999
- B.2013
- C.2015correct
- D.1990
Decca launched the 14-CD boxset titled 'L’Art de Maurice Gendron' in 2015.
Source: legacy section
2.Maurice Gendron was the only cellist to appear on a commercial recording conducted by whom?
- A.Raymond Leppard
- B.Benjamin Britten
- C.Pablo Casalscorrect
- D.Walter Susskind
Maurice Gendron was the only cellist to appear on a commercial recording under the baton of Pablo Casals.
Source: career section
3.Which of the following honors was awarded to Maurice Gendron?
- A.Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- B.Knight of the British Empire
- C.The Presidential Medal of Freedom
- D.National Order of Meritcorrect
Maurice Gendron was an Officer of the Legion of Honor and a recipient of the National Order of Merit.
Source: biographical introduction
4.On what date was Maurice Gendron born?
- A.15 June 1925
- B.20 October 1922
- C.26 December 1920correct
- D.12 August 1918
Maurice Gendron was born on 26 December 1920.
Source: biographical introduction
5.Where did Maurice Gendron pass away?
- A.Nice
- B.Grez-sur-Loingcorrect
- C.London
- D.Paris
Maurice Gendron died on 20 August 1990 in Grez-sur-Loing.
Source: biographical introduction
6.During which historical conflict was Maurice Gendron an active member of the French Resistance?
- A.The Algerian War
- B.World War IIcorrect
- C.The Franco-Prussian War
- D.World War I
Maurice Gendron was an active member of the French Resistance during World War II.
Source: biographical introduction
7.Which of the following pianists did Maurice Gendron record the sonata repertoire with?
- A.Walter Grimmer
- B.Dinu Lipatti
- C.Rudolf Serkin
- D.Philippe Entremontcorrect
Maurice Gendron recorded the sonata repertoire with pianists including Philippe Entremont and Jean Françaix.
Source: career section
8.Maurice Gendron was a member of a celebrated piano trio for 25 years with which family?
- A.The Menuhin familycorrect
- B.The Britten family
- C.The Lipatti family
- D.The Casals family
For 25 years, Maurice Gendron was a member of a piano trio with Yehudi and Hephzibah Menuhin.
Source: career section
9.Which specific work earned Maurice Gendron an Edison Award?
- A.The L'Art du Violoncelle book
- B.J. S. Bach's solo cello suitescorrect
- C.Boccherini's Concerto in B-flat
- D.Prokofiev's Cello Concerto
Maurice Gendron made a famous recording of J. S. Bach's solo cello suites that earned an Edison Award.
Source: career section
10.The 1693 Stradivarius cello played by Maurice Gendron was subsequently loaned to which German cellist?
- A.Chu Yibing
- B.Maria Kliegelcorrect
- C.Colin Carr
- D.Jacqueline du Pré
The 1693 Stradivarius known as the ex-Gendron cello was on loan to the German cellist Maria Kliegel.
Source: career section
11.At which institution did Maurice Gendron NOT teach?
- A.Musikhochschule Saarbrücken
- B.The Yehudi Menuhin School
- C.The Vienna State Opera Schoolcorrect
- D.The Paris Conservatoire
Maurice Gendron taught at the Musikhochschule Saarbrücken, the Yehudi Menuhin School, and the Paris Conservatoire.
Source: teaching section
12.Where did Maurice Gendron discover the original manuscript for Boccherini's Concerto in B-flat?
- A.The Paris Conservatoire library
- B.The London Philharmonic archives
- C.The Dresden State Librarycorrect
- D.The Vienna State Opera archive
Maurice Gendron discovered the original manuscript for Boccherini's Concerto in B-flat in the Dresden State Library.
Source: career section
13.Maurice Gendron was given exclusive rights to perform which work for three years?
- A.Prokofiev's Cello Concertocorrect
- B.Boccherini's Concerto in B-flat
- C.Bach's solo cello suites
- D.Beethoven's cello sonatas
Maurice Gendron gave the first Western performance of Prokofiev's Cello Concerto and held exclusive rights for three years.
Source: career section
14.Who collaborated with Maurice Gendron on his book 'L'Art du Violoncelle'?
- A.Yehudi Menuhin
- B.Walter Grimmercorrect
- C.Bernard Haitink
- D.François-Éric Gendron
Maurice Gendron wrote 'L'Art du Violoncelle' in collaboration with Walter Grimmer.
Source: works section
15.What is the name of Maurice Gendron's son?
- A.Walter Gendron
- B.François-Éric Gendroncorrect
- C.Maurice Gendron Jr.
- D.Yehudi Gendron
Maurice Gendron is the father of the actor François-Éric Gendron.
Source: family section
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