Customer Reviews

Dvorák: Cello Concerto, Op. 104 / Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 33

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This is a most extraordinary release. Here one can hear Jacqueline du Pre at her most inspired, often sacrificing beauty of sound for drama. But the scratchy bow strokes or missed notes on the whole are not of great concern. When performances are as inspired (and indeed inspring) as this, one just enjoys the music.

The Saint-Saens concerto opens the disc, and from the outset we hear the strong rapport between the soloist, conductor and orchestra, in here the Philadelphia Orchestra, who respond with enthusiasm. The concerto is not a major work, at only 19 minutes. But in du Pre's hands, it is a piece that does sound like a significant work. She recorded it comercially for EMI in 1968. I love the performance, but here it is even more impressive. Pablo Casals described it as "a storm interrupted by passages of great calm and peace." Du Pre seems to take note of this quote, and what we get is a very volatile performance, tempi and dynamics fluctuating like an unpredictable storm. In this performance she used her 1970 Peresson cello, to great effect. Barenboim conducts with vigour, even more than in the 1968 version. The sound is very clean for a live radio recording from 1971. The first movement is much more volatile than the 1968 version, which doesn't come as a total surprise as du Pre tended to understate a little in the studio. The second movement is taken at a brisker pace than in the 1968 studio version (the tempo in the second movement of the studio recording is far too slow for an Allegretto). The third movement is also faster than the 1968 version, and it has you on the edge of your seat, because the playing is so full of adrenalin, and she often takes very high risks but always ends up on the right side. No cellist plays like that nowadays. In this recording, the cello is placed very forward, enabling the listener to hear the minutest detail clearly. But the orchestra is miked less forward than the cello, which gives a slight imbalance in the sound picture.

Then comes the great Dvorak concerto. And boy, was I struck by it! I have heard four different Dvorak concerto perfomances by du Pre: The live 1970 performance from Wellington, New Zealand, of which I have a private tape, the 1970 Chicago studio performance, which is available generally, the 1969 London Proms recording, then this 1967 performance. Of the four, I have to say that this is the most impassioned performance. She uses her famous 'Davydov' cello (in the other three recordings, she used a Goffriller cello), and really pushes the capacity of the instrument (as noted in the CD booklet). Throughout the performance one can hear many scratches and buzzes from the strings caused by extra pressure du Pre exerted upon the instrument.

Here is du Pre at her most energetic, her tone beautifully burnished and the volume of her tone just incredible. Here one realises what people meant when they accused her of being too excessively emotional, but I just love it! Yes, she is extremely emotional in some passages, but what is music about? I think it is about conveying emotions, and the Dvorak is a pretty emotional and dramtic piece anyway. Her use of rubato is wonderful, with broad phrasings which suits this piece. She creates a sense of nostalgia in the coda of the last movement that is very touching. This is a Dvorak concerto performance that will not be surpassed in terms of its emotional passion. It isn't the most technically accurate, as it is a live performance, but certainly the most joyfully passionate. Celibidache provides wonderful accompaniment from his orchestra, which copes very well to du Pre's fluctuations of tempi and liberal use of rubato. The wind section is particularly good. The conductor's tempi are slow compared with other performances, but it doesn't sound laboured, and because of the broader tempi, the soloist can afford to be grand in her phrasings. Only occasionally the orchestra fails to come in at the right time, but that is a trivial matter.

No one performance was the same. Du Pre couldn't do such a thing as playing a piece the same way, and in this sense she was a great improviser, but without changing the notes (very much like Martha Argerich). To my annoyance, Teldec chose to edit out the applause. People generally don't like applause at the end of a live recording, but here is an exception. When the performances are as inspired as this, applause would have made it that more atmospheric. The remastered sound throughout is wonderfully vivid. Her recordings are all too few and I revel in the issues of new previously-unreleased recordings, as her discography always needs filling-up. This is a valuable addition to the du Pre discography, and a must for any du Pre fan. I have said that about other du Pre discs, but this REALLY is a must!

the collaboration between Jacqueline Dupre and Celibidache is just magical. Their shared abandon to the lirical, nostalgic beauty of the concert, combined with their oustanding command of musical detail, infuse this performance of a unique magic. Only Rostropovich with Talich and Casals with Szell (or anybody else for that matter)have touched this listener so deeply in the same concerto.

The review by Paul Rah from Switzerland nailed it to the point. I got this from Amazon.com last few weeks back and the first thing that struck me was the sudden emergency in Ma Du Pre's tone on the Cammille Saint Saens Concerto & I knew I was in for something magical.I have never heard a cello being bowed like that very lush,spontaneous almost beyond its limits. The Dvorak concerto also struck me to the heart especially the 2nd movement.The sumptous ochestra and Cello are just amazing.I think the Dvorak Cello by Jackie will down as the best ever.One thing that I also noticed was the the best quality of the sound for an 1967 and 1970 performances one wonders how did the engineers get it right, its perfect.Surely glimses of eternity is what audience got in those live performances.I would not like to say more that what Paul Rah has said already.The fact that im the 3rd person to review this magnificent piece of music is unbelievable to me, may be people have not heard about the greatest Cellist that ever lived.

A mixed bag.

The solo renditions are typical 'Du Pré' -- intense and impassioned; to be taken for what they are.

The Dvorák is very good, if idiosyncratic. The orchestra makes beautiful sounds and Celibidache creates a wonderful atmosphere, flexible and sensitive to Du Pré's style.

BUT----the Saint-Saëns is a disappointment! I found the orchestral conception uninspired, choppy and harsh, in short---pedestrian. Hubby Danny may be a first-class pianist, but he doesn't make it in the conductors' realm. If you are wondering why I feel this way, listen to the Saint-Saëns AFTER the Dvorák --- what a contrast (...thud..).

Buy the disc for Dvorák. Du Pré is inspired and right for his style of music-making.

To be a stellar solo instrument, the cello has to be pushed beyond its natural quiet soulfulness. Du Pre carried that to the limit; she was miles away from so many current virtuosos who cannot bear to play an ugly note. In the interest of passionate music-making, Du Pre forces the cello to growl and squeal as well as to philosophize. Because she threw herself with abandon into her live performances especially, she received the kind of feverish adoration that's rare even at the top echelons of classical music.

Here we have two live broadcasts, the Saint-Saens from 1971, the Dvorak from 1967. Du Pre is on fire in both, but it's the Dvorak that is the real prize. The Saint-Saens has been miked much too closely, and between Du Pre's recklessness and the wiry recorded sound, the effect is grating on the nerves. Only at soft volume was i comfortable with such an urgent assault on the score, much as I admire it in theory.

In the Dvorak form Stockholm, the opposite threatens to happen -- Du Pre is a bit far away to really capture the full tone of her instrument, but after a few minutes one adjusts. As for her interpretation, its magnificence is undeniable. You would never guess for a moment that this is thrice-familiar music. Every bar is played for originality and personal expression. Du Pre was a master at making music tell a story, and nowhere is her talent for that greater than here. The shifting moods she evokes are quite remarkable. Nor does she press her playing to the point of hysteria. Aided by Celibidache's seasoned accompaniment, which is in full sympathy with her (and not too slow, thankfully, despite a leisurely finale), Du Pre is able to interpret her part with more depth than I ever remember hearing. The Swedish Radio Orch. isn't stellar, but they play well here.

So even if you skip the Saint-Saens, the Dvorak belongs on the shelf with other classics of the gramophone.