Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Frank Bridge, Benjamin Britten, Claude Achille Debussy, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Peter Schubert, Robert Schumann
Performer: Mstislav Rostropovich, Benjamin Britten, Sviatoslav Richter
Orchestra: English Chamber Orchestra
Conductor: Benjamin Britten
Number of Discs: 5
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Decca
Catalogue: 4783577
Release: 2012
Size: 1.29 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
CD 01
Schubert: Sonata in A minor ‘Arpeggione’, D821
01. 1. Allegro moderato
02. 2. Adagio
03. 3. Allegretto
Schumann: Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102
04. 1. Vanitas vanitatum (Mit Humor)
05. 2. Langsam
06. 3. Nicht schnell, mit viel Ton zu spielen
07. 4. Nicht zu rasch
08. 5. Stark und markiert
Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb:1
09. 1. Moderato
10. 2. Adagio
11. 3. Finale (Allegro molto)
CD 02
Britten: Suite No. 1 for cello solo, Op. 72
01. 1. Canto primo (sostenuto e largamente)
02. Fuga: Andante moderato
03. Lamento: Lento rubato
04. 2. Canto secondo (Sostenuto)
05. Serenata: Allegretto: pizzicato
06. Marcia: Alla marcia moderato
07. 3. Canto terzo (Sostenuto)
08. Bordone: Moderato quasi recitativo
09. Moto perpetuo e canto quarto: Presto
Britten: Suite No. 2 for cello solo, Op. 80
10. Declamato: Largo
11. Fuga: Andante
12. Scherzo: Allegro molto
13. Andante lento
14. Ciaconna: Allegro
Britten: Sonata for cello and piano in C major, Op. 65
15. 1. Dialogo
16. 2. Scherzo – pizzicato
17. 3. Elegia
18. 4. Marcia
19. 5. Moto perpetuo
CD 03
Britten: Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68
01. Allegro maestoso
02. Presto inquieto
03. Adagio
04. Passacaglia
Bridge: Cello Sonata in D minor, H125
05. 1. Allegro ben moderato
06. 2. Allegro ma non troppo – Molto allegro e agitato
Debussy: Cello Sonata
07. 1. Prologue (lent)
08. 2. Sérénade (Modérément animé)
09. 3. Finale (Animé)
CD 04
Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 5 No. 1
01. I. Adagio sostenuto – Allegro
02. II. Rondo. Allegro vivace
Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 4 in C major, Op. 102 No. 1
03. I. Andante – Allegro vivace
04. II. Adagio – Tempo d’andante – Allegro vivace
Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 5 in D major, Op. 102 No. 2
05. I. Allegro con brio
06. II. Adagio con molto sentimento d’affetto
07. III. Allegro. Allegro fugato
CD 05
Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5 No. 2
01. I. Adagio sostenuto ed espressivo – Allegro molto più tosto presto
02. II. Rondo. Allegro
Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69
03. I. Allegro ma non tanto
04. II. Scherzo. Allegro molto
05. III. Adagio cantabile – Allegro vivace
To celebrate the 85th anniversary of the Russian maestro’s birth on 27 March 2012, Decca have collated all the recordings he made for Decca and Philips into one stunning 5CD box set. A must not only for students of the cello, but also for all who appreciate exemplary musicianship.
In the early 1960s, when Rostropovich was just beginning his international career, he made a handful of recordings for Decca. This 2012 box — issued for what would have been his 85th birthday — brings those albums together. It includes all of the works Benjamin Britten specifically wrote for Rostropovich: the two suites, the sonata, and the Symphony for cello and orchestra, accompanied or conducted by the composer himself, making these definitive versions. There are also other sonatas they collaborated on, including Schubert’s “Arpeggione” Sonata, which was apparently one of Rostropovich’s favorites of all his recordings. The Beethoven cello sonatas make up two of the set’s discs, and in these, Rostropovich was accompanied by another, slightly older Russian also just beginning a notable international career: Sviatoslav Richter. Any student of the cello would do well to hear these historically important, superlative performances.