Any book about an
artist like Suggia is a welcome event but this contribution by
Anita Mercier is much more than that. This is a loving, respectful
tribute to a fabulous musician and fascinating woman, thoughtfully
written and expertly put together. Anita Mercier is a member of
the Liberal Arts Faculty at the prestigious Juilliard School in
New York, which she joined in 1995. She is a specialist in political
theory and gender studies and was a recipient of the Erskine Prize
for Faculty in 2004.
The subject of the book, Guilhermina Suggia (1885-1950),
was a Portuguese cellist of great artistry, a virtuoso of the
instrument, a woman far ahead of her time and one of the most
remarkable soloists of her generation. Her first teacher was her
father, Augusto Suggia, who recognised early that his daughter
was a prodigy. Suggia gave her first concert at the age of seven
and became a member of the distinguished Moreira de Sá
String Quartet while still a teenager. During a visit to Lisbon,
where she performed, Suggia made a big impression on the then
Queen of Portugal, Dona Amélia, who ensured the young cellist
was awarded a scholarship. This was to study in Leipzig, with
one of the best teachers of the time and a most respected musician:
Professor Julius Klengel.
Augusto Suggia was an unusual father for those
days if one bears in mind the strict Catholicism of Portugal and
the very conservative views regarding women everywhere in Europe.
He helped both his daughters pursuing a musical career (her older
sister Virgínia was a talented pianist) and most remarkably,
he did for Suggia what was then normal practice only for an eldest
son: He dedicated his life to further her career. Not only did
he allow her to go to Leipzig but he also accompanied her, sacrificing
himself and his family, to help the talented Suggia gain the foundations
for a solid career as a solo musician. Her debut was with the
celebrated Gewandhausorchester, in Leipzig, one year after having
initiated her studies there with Klengel. It marked the beginning
of a truly international and brilliant career as a cellist. She
never looked back.
Suggia's life was no less fascinating than her
career. She was unconventional, fiercely independent, determined,
dedicated and completely focused. At a time when women were not
allowed to play in orchestras; when they were supposed to marry
and once married to give up their profession, should they have
one at all, Suggia simply refused to follow the norm. She lived
out of wedlock, for several years, with celebrated fellow cellist
Pablo Casals; she pursued her career with great determination,
managing it mostly on her own, negotiating fees, directing promotion
and organising her concert schedule. She settled in England, after
World War I, as the country was much better suited than Portugal
to the kind of career Suggia intended and fully achieved. She
did eventually return to her native country when she reached middle
age. There, she finally married, at forty, Dr Carteado Mena; a
man considerably older than her but well educated, open-minded
and who accepted the freedom and independence that Suggia required
to continue her career successfully, which indeed she did almost
until her death in 1950. The last great public appearance of Suggia's
glorious career, at the age of 64, was her performance on 27th
August 1949, at the Edinburgh Festival, with the BBC Scottish
Orchestra.
It is therefore unfortunate that an artist of such
stature and such a fascinating, warm personality should have nearly
been forgotten both in England, her adoptive nation, and perhaps
even more so in her native Portugal. Partially, however, this
may have been Suggia's own fault, as Ms Mercier explains in the
book: On the one hand, she kept her personal life very private
and chose not to share it; on the other, she was a keen performer
who revelled in the thrill of the stage and a live audience. She
did not like recording and was never happy with the sound of it.
Therefore, precious little survived of her legendary performances.
There are a few remastered recordings available and these are
listed at the end of the book.
Anita Mercier has managed to write Suggia's biography
in a wonderful, fluid style. The book is truly beautiful, both
to the eye as well as to the mind. It has a simple, black hardback
cover, with a protective jacket that features Suggia's striking
portrait, painted by Augustus John (1878-1971). It can still be
admired at the Tate Gallery, in London. The paper is of superb
quality; it feels simultaneously crispy and smooth to the touch,
however the font used is perhaps a little too small. Mostly and
foremost, however, this book is lovingly written. It is a treat,
a page-turner! I just couldn't put it down once I started reading
it. This fact is not solely due to Ms Mercier's accomplished,
flawless writing but also to the fascinating personality of the
subject and this radiates from the pages like a beacon of light.
Mercier obviously conducted thorough, detailed researches, successfully
and effectively interchanging the narrative with extracts of newspapers'
reviews of Suggia's concerts and letters, as well as letters,
articles and accounts by her friends, family and contemporaries.
These are all rare documents; not many have survived but Mercier
persisted and gained access to documentation archived in Oporto,
Suggia's native city.
Ms Mercier intelligently organised the narrative
in eight logical chapters, arranged in chronological order, and
named after significant stages or facts in the great cellist's
life. At the end of the book, Mercier cleverly added three appendixes:
the first contains Suggia's own published writings, the second
is a list of her concerts, which is impressive even on its own,
and finally the obituary, written by Milly B. Stanfield and published
in The Strad in September 1950. To complement the narration
and description of facts and events, Mercier managed to obtain
a remarkable collection of photographs, featuring Suggia with
friends, family or fellow artists, as well as a few portraits
of the artist and her cello.
I simply loved this book. As a biography, it is
definitely one of the best I have ever read, remarkably insightful
and beautifully written. This makes it all the more difficult
for me to say that I fear it will not sell very well. In spite
of the undeniable quality of the book and the fascinating subject,
the retail price of £50 for a 165-page hardback is undoubtedly
exaggerated and too expensive. Hopefully, Ashgate Publishing will
be planning a paperback edition, next year, at a more attractive
and affordable price!
Margarida Mota-Bull
