Customer Reviews

Strauss: Don Quixote; Schumann: Cello Concerto / Rostropovich, Karajan, et al

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The recording of Strauss' Don Quixote is outstanding. Rostropovich did a wonderful job being the crazed knight and bringing the listener right into the story. Karajan does, as usual, a wonderful job keeping the Berlin Philharmonic intact. The real jewel to this CD is the Schumann Cello Concerto. The brilliant conducting my Bernstein brings out the best in Rostropovich and adds to the emotional aspect of the piece.

Buy it now!

This is a great recording of Don Quixote, possibly the best ever, and by itself would merit five stars. However, the same cannot be said of the Rostropovich/Bernstein Schumann concerto, a relatively weak work to begin with, so overall, this is a mixed bag. Assuming you don't have the couplings, I would buy the 2-disc EMI set containg Karajan's equally fine accounts of Ein Heldenleben and Sinfonia Domestica.

Karajan made two excellent DG recordings of Don Quixote with P.Fournier & Meneses, but personally I like this EMI recording with Rostropovich best. Rostropovich's style of playing is very appropriate for the characterisation of the knight, and the orchestra part has more urgency and grandeur helped by acoustics of Philharmonie and much emphasis on bass, even though the sound is dry and steely compared to the DG versions.

If you want truly outstanding recordings of the work, my recommendations are Reiner/Janigro RCA Living Stereo & Levine/Met Orchestra DG.