Anyone with a passing interest in Rostropovich or the cello will likely own some or all of the contents of the first disc in this set celebrating the cellist’s 75th birthday. However, the real value of this tribute resides on Disc 2: a mini-recital of delightful mono recordings from 1956, all but one of which are receiving their first CD release. Rostropovich is featured with his long-time accompanist, Alexander Dedyukhin, in Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata, Chopin’s Polonaise brilliante, and transcriptions of Schumann, Rachmaninov, and Schubert. Along with the sheer intensity of his famous sound, we hear Rostropovich’s amazing musical ability to capture and sustain the line of a melody. Throughout the seldom-played sonata and the often-heard Vocalise, Rostropovich’s phrasing is close to perfection.
It’s also fascinating to hear the consistency in his playing over the years. Aside from the loss of some youthful gusto, his later recording of the Chopin, in 1980 with Martha Argerich (also on DG’s discontinued Chopin Compact Edition) compares favorably to his earlier 1956 version captured on this set, but the later recording is nonetheless a gripping reading, full of flair.
The first disc contains Rostropovich’s well-known Dvorák Concerto with Karajan (re-released in the DG Originals series), and–compared to his previous recording with Bernstein on EMI–his better rendition of the Schumann (with Rozhdestvensky, also released October 2000 in DG’s “Panorama” series). Much has been written about this Dvorák performance and it usually winds up on reviewer’s lists as the reference standard, although his later reading with Ozawa on Erato and his much earlier recording with Talich also have garnered critical praise. For those who don’t already own these recordings, this two-fer disc is an invaluable document of one of the century’s greatest living artists. [5/10/2002]
