Maurice Gendron

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Maurice Gendron (December 26, 1920, near Nice, France - August 20, 1990, Grez-sur-Loing, France) was a French cellist and teacher. He is widely considered one of the greatest French cellists of the twentieth century.

He recorded most of the standard concerto repertoire with conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Raymond Leppard, and Pablo Casals, 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 Francaix. He was a member of a celebrated piano trio with Yehudi Menuhin and Hephzibah Menuhin. He also made a famous recording of the solo Bach suites.

Gendron played with many musical stars of his time, including Benjamin Britten and Rudolf Serkin. His 18th Century Stradivarius, which has become known as the "Ex-Gendron" cello is currently on loan to German cellist Maria Kliegel

Gendron taught at the Menuhin School and at the Paris Conservatoire. His students include Colin Carr and Jacqueline du Pré, among many others.

He was the first modern cellist to play Boccherini's Concerto in B flat in its original form, instead of the Grützmacher version. 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.