Jacqueline du Pré

About

Jacqueline du Pré (1945-1987) was a world-famous cellist from Oxford, England whose definitive and universally acclaimed 1965 recording of Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E-minor brought her international prominence and fame. Only 20 years old when the recording was released, du Pré went on to make her United States premier at Carnegie Hall that year and perform with several prestigious orchestras for years thereafter. After meeting and later marrying concert pianist Daniel Barenboim in 1967, du Pré chose to focus more on chamber music performances, and would do so until 1971 when multiple sclerosis began negatively affecting her playing. Although the disease would eventually take the cellist's life in 1987, Jacqueline du Pré is still generally considered to be one of the greatest cellists of the 20th Century.