Every generation has its brilliant virtuosi players who, by common consent, stand that little bit apart from their contemporaries. And just occasionally another, greater, phenomenon appears: an artist so very special that he creates an entirely new horizon for his art, an entirely new approach to his instrument. Such an artist was Pablo Casals.

There is no musician today who has not, in some way, been touched by Casals. His innovations sparked a revolution and changed forever the accepted limitations of playing the cello; his teachings stand as a beacon, proud and resolute, for all others to follow.

In the wider world, his courageous stand against the fascists who had overrun his beloved Catalonia earned him the respect and attention of the world's most renowned leaders, from the President of the United States to the Secretary General of the United Nations.

Here, then, is a portrait of Pablo Casals in his own words and the words of others. It's all here: his love of humanity, his wisdom, his idealism, his courage, his obstinacy, the inspiration he sparked and above all shining through the pages like a rare and precious jewel the overwhelming, triumphant and towering genius.