Obituary
Aldo Simões Parisot September 30, 1918 — December 29, 2018
Renowned cellist, pedagogue, and Yale School of Music Professor Aldo Simões Parisot passed away peacefully at 100 years old in his home in Guilford Connecticut on Saturday December 29th, 2018 with the loving support of his family and friends. Within his home on a beautiful afternoon and surrounded by his own paintings and family he passed listening to an early recording of Brazilian soprano Bidu Sayão singing one of his favorite Brazilian folk songs from his childhood, “A Casinha Pequenina”, and concluded his journey hearing the Bachiana Brasileiras No. 5 written by his dear friend and composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos.
Mr. Parisot was born in Natal, R.N., Brazil in 1918 to Luiz Parisot and Angela Simões. Both he and his younger brother Italo Babini learned to play cello from Mr. Parisot’s stepfather, cellist Tomazzo Babini. As a child prodigy Mr. Parisot began his career at 6 years old and made his debut with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra at age 12. By age 18 he became the ensemble’s principal cellist. It was in Rio de Janeiro that he came to the attention of an American attaché to the Brazilian embassy, Carleton Sprague Smith. Impressed with Parisot’s virtuosity, Smith offered to help him study abroad.
Mr. Parisot arrived at Yale in 1946 as a “special student.” He studied chamber music, and music theory with composer Paul Hindemith. In 1948, he auditioned for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra where he played professionally for two years but longed to be a soloist. In 1950, he gave his debut recital
Click here for complete video of the Yale School of Music's tribute to Aldo Parisot in Sprague Hall on April 17, 2019.
at Town Hall in New York City, launching an international solo career that produced recordings for RCA Victor, Angel, Westminster, and Phonodisc. As a performer, Mr. Parisot was renowned for his beautiful sound and astonishing technique. He performed on stages throughout the world, both as a recitalist and as a soloist with major orchestras under the batons of such eminent conductors as Bernstein, Stokowski, Barbirolli, Mehta, Monteux, Villa-Lobos, Carvalho and others.
Mr. Parisot was driven to expand the cello repertoire, premiering numerous works for the instrument. Following his 1966 premiere of Donald Martino’s Parisonatina al’Dodecafonia, composed for and dedicated to him, The Boston Globe declared, “There is probably no cellist that can equal Parisot’s dazzling achievement.” The New York Times weighed in, saying, “Those at this performance are not going to forget [Parisot’s] feat overnight.”