Jacqueline du Pré - The Early BBC Recordings 1961-1965 ~ Bach, Britten, Brahms, Couperin, Falla, Handel / Kovacevich, Lush, Pleeth

Johann Sebastian Bach (Artist), George Frideric Handel (Artist), Johannes Brahms (Artist), William Pleeth (Artist), Ernest Lush (Artist), François Couperin (Artist), Jacqueline du Pré (Artist), Stephen Kovacevich (Artist), Benjamin Britten (Artist), Manuel de Falla (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 10, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00000JQY1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #184,493 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Jacqueline du Pré wasn't a late bloomer; everything on these discs was made before her 20th birthday and already she plays with a wealth of passion and personality. She's also occasionally on the raw side, but sour notes or awkward moments in the first two Bach Suites are more than made up for by the brio with which she tears into the fast movements and by the deep tenderness with which she caresses the sarabandes. Highlights include the lushly beautiful Falla transcriptions and the vivacious interplay between du Pré and her teacher, William Pleeth, in the Couperin duets. This collection of rarities expands the all-too-short du Pré catalogue and will be a must for her many fans. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passion and History, June 15, 2000

By 

D. Markatos (New Canaan, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jacqueline du Pré - The Early BBC Recordings 1961-1965 ~ Bach, Britten, Brahms, Couperin, Falla, Handel / Kovacevich, Lush, Pleeth (Audio CD)

This CD is fantastic. It shows the early beginnings of J. du Pre and her passion. J. du Pre plays the cello with such emotion that her talent sings even in the early days. She was an accomplished player and had soul. These early recordings demonstrate her talent even in the early years and prove to be a remarkable set or recordings from BBC radio.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best!, September 20, 2001

By 

Sillem "taco sillem" (amsterdam Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jacqueline du Pré - The Early BBC Recordings 1961-1965 ~ Bach, Britten, Brahms, Couperin, Falla, Handel / Kovacevich, Lush, Pleeth (Audio CD)

it's raw, she was 18 when this was recorded, even a false note?, who cares, what a power, this is without any "slickness" .when you love cello, a must to have!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pick this up ASAP!, February 2, 2005

By 

Campbell Roark "tri-zeta" (from under the floorboards and through the woods...) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jacqueline du Pré - The Early BBC Recordings 1961-1965 ~ Bach, Britten, Brahms, Couperin, Falla, Handel / Kovacevich, Lush, Pleeth (Audio CD)

Early Recordings indeed. These are phenomenal. As far as I'm concerned, Du Pre was peerless as cellist. She towered above her generation like Jack Johnson or Bobby Fischer. But that's all hyperbole- her youth comes through as much in her later recording as here, recorded in her late-teens. Her approach and exuberance and creative drive seemed born of a child's capacity to give herself over completely to whatever enthralled her at the moment...

This is great intro to Du Pre, or, conversely a grand release to round out your collection. So, If you go for mastery, technical skill and superb form: you may like Yo-Yo Ma more than Du Pre... but if you go for intensity, ferocity, passion bordering on the insane- Du Pre's your gal. Just give her treatment of the Elgar Concerto a listen. It's soul-crushingly, heart-wrenchingly beautiful.