Customer Reviews

Britten: Cello Symphony; Cello Suite No. 2 / Shostokovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 ~ Rostropovich

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Because Rostropovich dominated cello playing for three decades, it's easy to glaze over at his huge output. However, this is certainly one of his greatest recordings--two, in fact. The first is a live version of Britten's late, rather unreachable Cello Symphony, written for Rostropovich after the two became fast friends in the early Sixties. Enigmatic as the idiom can be, the soloist plunges in with such tremendous passion that it's enough to carry any listener along. The occasion was a visit by the left-leaning Britten to Moscow, and although the sound is mono, it is vivid and dramatic, with the cello placed right up at the mike. The Russian musicians play with raw enthusiasm, and of course Britten was the supreme conductor of his own works.

The second big work is the Shostakovich Cello Concerto #1, also written for Rostropovich. He has also given us a notable American premiere recording under Ormandy (Sony) and a live account on BBC Legends, but this Moscow one under Rozhdestvensky is raw, tense, almost hectically fast at times, and uniquely intense. There are lots of very fine recordings of this masterpiece, but I doubt anyone can duplicate Rostropovich's total abandon. The mono sound is again very good, but expect audience coughs in both performances, often at just the wrong moment.

This recording of Britten's Cello Symphony is conducted by the composer himself, and is of the absolute highest caliber. The playing is so intense and the orchestra so colorful that the live, mono sound doesn't matter a bit. (Actually, this remastering has eliminated most of the tape noise -- too bad they haven't found a way to remove coughing!)

The second suite for cello is also definitive. It is a little strange that we don't also get the first suite; the only way to get Rostropovich's performance of it is to buy the "Russian Years" collection, which also includes the works by Britten on this disc (but not remastered with "ART", for whatever it's worth). However, Rostropovich never recorded the third suite, so we can't buy his complete set anyway.

The Shostakovich is a bit less special, because Rostropovich did make a good recording of that work in the studio. The orchestra is a bit sloppier here (under the baton of Rozhdestvensky) than in the Britten and the coughing is a bit louder. The cadenza, however, has never been matched for its passion in any recording, and alone is nearly worth hearing this performance for.

Fans of Rostropovich, take notice of this set! Most impressive performances of the man in his prime.
4.5 / 5

This recording is a reminder of the considerable contribution Rostropovich made to 20th century music, not only as a great performer but also as someone who greatly expanded the repertory for his instrument. Rostropovich was a supremely gifted cellist and this recording exhibits his virtuousity in 3 works composed specifically for him. These are only a few of the works commissioned by or written specifically for Rostropovich. Both the Britten and Shostakovich pieces are fruit of Rostropovich's close friendships with these great composers. These are demanding works requiring a very high level of technical skill and exploiting the musical range of the cello. The Britten pieces are probably better known and contain much powerful and rewarding music. The Shostakovich concerto deserves a place as one of the standards of the cello repertory. Rostropovich is, not surprisingly, superb, as is the Moscow Philharmonic.