St Petersburg mourns its premier cellist
mainThe death has been reported of Anatoly Nikitin, principal cellist of the St Petersburg Philharmonic for around 40 years and a noted soloist and teacher. He also conducted masterclasses in the US, Italy and Switzerland, leaving an international trail of students. He taught in the style of his own teacher, Mstislav Rostropovich.
Anatoly Nikitin was 85.
He has taught in his own style, and if comparisons are needed, I would say the playing and musical taste stem from an older and greater tradition. He was a truly great musician and cellist and gave a lot of time and energy to his class. He will be greatly missed.