Pierre Fournier and Mstislav Rostropovich - "Le Violoncelle" excerpt

An excerpt from a French documentary on the cello, taken from the INA online archives. This video contains all appearances of Pierre Fournier in the documentary, which includes a performance of Faure's Elegie with Fournier on cello and Rostropovich on piano. This documentary aired in 1982, which was very late in Fournier's performing career and just a few years before his death. The full documentary may be found here:
www.ina.fr/art-et-culture/musi...
Directed by Francois Reichenbach
More about the relationship between Rostropovich and Fournier from Angela Hughes' "Pierre Fournier: A Cellist in a Landscape with Figures":
'A great celebrator of anniversaries, Slava Rostropovich put all his energy and enthusiasm into organizing a concert for Fournier's 75th birthday. It took place at the Tonhalle in Zurich, with Paul Sacher who had premiered the Frank Martin Concerto with Fournier and the Collegium Musicum. Characteristically ignoring baleful warnings about 'too many concerts and not enough public', Slava pushed ahead with his plan and was proved right: the concert was sold out at once. Fournier played the Haydn D major Concerto, Fonda (Fournier's son) Mozart's E flat concerto K 449, Rostropovich partnered Fournier at the piano in Fauré's Elégie, and Magaloff and Amoyal joined him in Mendelssohn's D minor Trio. At one point there was a horrified gasp from the audience: forgetting Pierre's fragility, Slava had embraced him with an effusion which virtually bought them both to the floor. But they recovered and the concert ended happily with Davidov's Feststück and Klengel's Hymnus performed by an international ensemble of 110 cellists.'
'The Young Mstislav Rostropovich made his triumphant Paris debut at the Salle Gaveau in February 1956. Visiting rue Lesueur he brought Pierre and Lyda his photograph, a tin of caviar and a bottle of vodka. He told them he had two ambitions - to visit Casals at Prades and them in Paris. He then dazzled them at the piano with a study of his own in the manner of Prokofiev. They were totally captivated.'
And a less than complementary note on Rostropovich's cello, which speaks to the change of taste in sound, as the majority of celli today are setup similarly to what is described here.
"[Fournier] borrowed Slava's cello but found it awkward, 'going the way of Gaspar [Cassado]'s, steel strings, Belgian bridge, Tortelier spike, making for horrid tone... Here, as in America, the size of tone seems more important than the quality.'"

[@Apalexpe]

Amazing moment, beautiful music by two of the most ferocious cellists the world has seen.

[@friulano]

Bellissimo documentario. Splendide parole di Fournier. Meravigliosa musica. Grazie

[@200910maria]

magnifique!!!!

[@moret1957]

maravilloso homenaje a la mùsica!!!

[@brumap1]

Thank. Thank. Thank.

[@brankohutt]

Wie ein schoener Klavierklang das war !

[@karimnafati9622]

Bravo

[@TheBlueeyedJew]

[@fourstrings48]

Encore étudiant, j'ai eu l'honneur de jouer pour Pierre Fournier. C'était un homme d'une rare élégance, exactement comme il 'était un violoncelliste d'une élégance exquise. Mais la sienne n'a jamais été une élégance froide; au contraire, son jeu était plein d'une passion controlée et nuancée. Je l'admirais il y a cinquante-huit ans, et je l'admire encore aujourd'hui.

[@TheRobe477]

Quelle rare et exquise élégance d'avoir collaboré avec les nazis. Quelle rare et exquise élégance d'avoir donné à la gestapo la liste des noms et adresses de ses élèves juives et juifs pour qu'ils soient envoyés manu militari dans les camps d'extermination. Quelle rare et exquise élégance d'avoir eu le culot d'enregistrer le "Kol Nidrei" de Max Bruch après la guerre pour la Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft.

[@fourstrings48]

@@TheRobe477 - Je n'étais pas au courant des faits que vous venez de raconter. Mais votre sarcasme ne vous fait pas honneur.

[@TheRobe477]

@@fourstrings48 "Je n'étais pas au courant des faits." Vous avez fait ma journée.

[@fourstrings48]

@@TheRobe477 Je n'étais pas au courant des faits que vous racontez là. J'ai vécu aux Etats Unis et en Italie, mais pas en France.

[@71280Carmen]

Le mot "éternel" revient comme une constante dans la bouche du maître Fournier..;

[@amandahsiung7750]

OMG, Rostropovich playing piano?!

[@skakdosmer]

Rostropovich was married to the famous soprano Galina Visjnevskaja, and he always played the piano at his wife's concerts.

[@teom3711]

Sorry where I can find the complete video?..the link not working now

[@Derrymaine148]

subtutles please!!!

[@Mihaliscello]

what is he saying !!!

[@vladiinsky]

Rostropovich at the piano, playing fantastic...Fournier must have practiced hard! :)

[@a0939771431]

you fool, Fournier is a maestro then, even Slava showed his respect to him.

[@Apalexpe]

vladiinsky Fournier is the aristocrat of the Cello! Both of them are geniuses in their own right!

[@stevenj9970]

I hope Slava was not too intimidated to accompany Pierre...