Favourite Cello Concertos [Box set]

Jacqueline du Pré (Artist), Edward Elgar (Composer), Luigi Boccherini (Composer), Antonin Dvorak (Composer), Camille Saint-Saëns (Composer), Joseph Haydn (Composer), Matthias Georg Monn (Composer), Robert Schuman (Composer), Daniel Barenboim (Conductor), John Barbirolli (Conductor) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Conductor: Daniel Barenboim, John Barbirolli
• Composer: Edward Elgar, Luigi Boccherini, Antonin Dvorak, Camille Saint-Saëns, Joseph Haydn, et al.
• Audio CD (May 7, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000002S1F
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,630 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #85 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Strings > Cello

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

During her far-too-brief career, cellist Jacqueline du Pré exhibited an almost oracular power of communication. Her performances bristled with the kind of brilliant electricity that could change lives and convert listeners to a lifelong love of music. Happily, it's possible to experience a sense of that power from the recordings du Pré completed before multiple sclerosis halted her career as a performer in the early 1970s. This set provides a splendid portrait--at bargain price--of du Pré's unmistakable personality: the astonishingly original yet convincing phrasing, raw energy, and ability to make her instrument sound uncannily like a human voice (du Pré was after all a favored student of Mstislav Rostropovich). Her rendition of Haydn's Concerto in C is clearly cast in a romantic--and nowadays perhaps unfashionable--mold, yet du Pré's big, bold tone carries the musical line forward with exhilarating presence. It's a demeanor that proves especially reassuring for the quirkily mercurial inventions of Boccherini. Yet du Pré most indelibly leaves her signature on the work that became her hallmark, Edward Elgar's E Minor Concerto, grafting a deeply personal level of expression onto the score's rich post-World War I melancholy. In the Schumann, du Pré makes an eloquently passionate protagonist. A similar sense of excitement is to be heard in Dvorák's Concerto--performed near the end of her career--above all in the flame of inspiration she evidently sparks from the orchestra in the serene close of its slow movement. This is a supremely rewarding collection for the beginner and aficionado alike. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Du Pre is Gone, but Her Talent Still Shines, August 18, 2000

By 

"rrr338" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Favourite Cello Concertos (Audio CD)

My first exposure to Jacqueline Du Pre's gifts came with a listening to the Dvorak Cello Concerto in B Minor, with Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony. My wife often listened to this piece at work, and chanced to bring it home one night. What a truly moving piece of work! I agree with critic Peter Gammond, who said that this version of the Dvorak Concerto almost gives one a "physical shock" upon first listening. Du Pre played the cello with more drama, more deeply felt emotion, than anyone else I've heard. While driving in the car one day, the Dvorak concerto came on the radio, played by a different musician. It was pointed out to me that this was the same composition on the Du Pre recording, and I could scarcely believe it! In contrast to Du Pre, the music sounded flat, unisprired, even plodding. The other works on this disc are equallly impressive. If you like the cello, and feel that it is meant to convey a sense of dramatic tension from the heart, then this is a collection you most certainly will want to enjoy again and again. It is a tragedy that Du Pre left the world at age 28, but her talent, fortunately, still shines on for many of us.

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jacqueline DuPre; Favorite Cello Concertos, April 21, 2000

By 

Thomas Hohn "Avid listener" (Swansea, IL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Favourite Cello Concertos (Audio CD)

For anyone unfamiliar with the late Jacqueline DuPre, this compilation will be a treat, as it is her at the peak of her genius, the ultimate height of her skills, showcasing her amazing dexterity, and,most importantly, her abilty to project emotion and sensitivity in her playing, relying upon her unerring interpretative powers to wring the full spectrum of emotions from her instrument to add life to the composition.

In her all-too-brief career, she managed to record not only the "core"(central) material, but experimented with new compositions as well. Mention here should be made of the equally incomparable skill of her husband Daniel Barenboim who conducts as well as accompanies her on the discs. Together they were known as music's "Golden Couple" and listening to them, you can certainly hear why that title was bestowed upon them.

Even if you're not a DuPre fan, but love the cello, this set is definitely one of the best recordings I've ever heard. The Hayden Concerto in C is brought forth with a joyous opening, DuPre playing with straight-forward conviction, the tone colors emanating proudly and powerfully over a full symphony orchestra. From there, prepare to listen to some of the best interpretations of the Masters you've ever heard!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incomparable cello concerto collection, January 13, 2005

By 

J. F. "Baseball history nut; music fan" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Favourite Cello Concertos (Audio CD)

If I could only take one classical cd collection to a desert island, it would be Heifetz' "Concerto Collection." But if I could take a second such colletion, this set would get the nod, and the decision would be neither difficult nor time-consuming.

There is very powerful material on the first two cd's, but it is the third cd to which I invariably find myself drawn. Dvorak and Elgar. Could it get any better? Not for me.

I realize Dvorak's concerto is considered the masterpiece of its genre, much like Beethoven's violin concerto is. I agree that Beethoven's violin concerto is a sui generis masterpiece, but as much as I love Dvorak's cello concerto, the Elgar concerto is my favorite composition in this collection. Apparently I am not alone in that view, since it dominated the musical background in the unfortunately Dupre-bashing movie "Hillary and Jackie."

If you like Dupre's music, or if you simply like great cello music, buy this collection. You will not regret your decision.

Jim F.