Rostropovich – The Complete EMI Recordings (26 CD box set, APE)

Audio CD
Number of Discs: 26 CD box set
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: EMI Classics
Size: 6.03 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 01: J.S. Bach
01-07 J.S. Bach – Suite No. 1 in G, BWV 1007
08-14 J.S. Bach – Suite No. 4 in E flat, BWV 1010
15-21 J.S. Bach – Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello
March 1991
Basilique Sainte-Madeleine, Vezelay, Yonne, France
(P) 1995

CD 02: J.S. Bach
01-07 J.S. Bach – Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
08-14 J.S. Bach – Suite No. 3 in C, BWV 1009
15-21 J.S. Bach – Suite No. 6 in D, BWV 1012
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello
March 1991
Basilique Sainte-Madeleine, Vezelay, Yonne, France
(P) 1995

CD 03: Haydn, Schumann
01-03 Joseph Haydn – Cello Concerto No. 1 in C, HobVIIb.1
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Mstislav Rostropovich
15-16 November 1975
No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1976/2000

04-06 Joseph Haydn – Cello Concerto No. 2 in D, HobVIIb.2
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Mstislav Rostropovich
15-16 November 1975
No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1976/2000

07-19 Robert Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Orchestre National de France, Leonard Bernstein
11-12 November 1976
Salle Wagram, Paris
(P) 1977/1998

CD 04: Beethoven
01-03 Ludwig van Beethoven – Triple Concerto in C, Op. 56
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
David Oistrakh – violin,
Sviatoslav Richter – piano,
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
15-17 September 1969
Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin
(P) 1970/1997

04 Ludwig van Beethoven – 12 Variations in F on ‘Ein Maedchen oder Weibchen’, Op. 66
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Vasso Devetzi – piano
16-17 July 1974
Salle Wagram, Paris
(P) 1975/2007

05 Ludwig van Beethoven – 12 Variations in G on ‘See, the conquering hero comes’, WoO. 45
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Vasso Devetzi – piano
16-17 July 1974
Salle Wagram, Paris
(P) 1975/2007

CD 05: Brahms
01-03 Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
David Oistrakh – violin,
Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell
12-13 May 1969
Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
(P) 1970/1997

04-07 Johannes Brahms – Cello Sonata No. 2 in F, Op. 99 (mono)
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano
26 April 1957
No. 3 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1959/2007

CD 06: Brahms, Dvorak
01-03 Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Itzhak Perlman – violin,
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
19-20 June 1979
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
(P) 1980/1988

04-06 Antonin Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini
29-30 April & 01 May 1977
No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1978/2001

CD 07: Dvorak, Saint-Saens, Popper, Debussy, Scriabin
01-03 Antonin Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult
23-24 April 1957
No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1958/2008

04-06 Camille Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent
06 March 1956
No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 2008

07 David Popper – Dance of the Elyes, Op. 39
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano
26 April 1957
No. 3 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1959/2007

08 Claude Debussy – Minstrels (No. 12 of Preludes Book I)
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano
26 April 1957
No. 3 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1959/2007

09 Claude Debussy – Clair de lune (No. 3 of Suite bergamasque)
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano
26 April 1957
No. 3 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1959/2007

10 Alexander Scriabin – Etude, Op. 6, No. 11
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano
26 April 1957
No. 3 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1959/2007

CD 08: R. Strauss
01-13 Richard Strauss – Don Quixote, Op. 35
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Ulrich Koch – viola,
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
03-08 January 1975
Philharmonie, Berlin
(P) 1976/1988

14-16 Richard Strauss – Cello Sonata in F, Op. 6
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Vasso Devetzi – piano

16-17 July 1974
Salle Wagram, Paris
(P) 1975/2007

CD 09: Prokofiev, Myaskovsky, Rachmaninov
01-03 Sergei Prokofiev – Symphony-Concerto in E minor, Op. 125
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent
15 April 1957
No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1959/2007

04-05 Nikolai Myaskovsky – Cello Concerto in C minor, Op. 66
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent
05 March 1956
No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 2007

06 Sergei Rachmaninov – Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14 (mono)
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano
27 April 1957
No. 3 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1959/2007

CD 10: Saint-Saens, Dutilleux, Lutoslawski
01-03 Camille Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini
29-30 April & 01 May 1977
No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 1978/2001

04-08 Henri Dutilleux – Tout un monde lointain…
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Orchestre de Paris, Serge Baudo
05-06 November 1974
Salle Wagram, Paris
(P) 1975/2002

09-12 Witold Lutoslawski – Cello Concerto
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Orchestre de Paris, Witold Lutoslawski
22-24 December 1974
Salle Wagram, Paris
(P) 1975/2002

CD 11: Bloch, Gubaidulina
01 Ernest Bloch – Schelomo – Hebrew Rhapsody
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Orchestre National de France, Leonard Bernstein
11-12 November 1976
Salle Wagram, Paris
(P) 1977/1987

02-12 Sofia Gubaidulina – The Canticle of the Sun
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello & percussion,
Simon Carrington – percussion,
Neil Percy – percussion,
John Aley – celesta,
London Voices, Ryusuke Numajiri
14 January 1999
No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
(P) 2001

CD 12: Schnittke, Shostakovich
01-04 Alfred Schnittke – Concerto for Three
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Gidon Kremer – violin,
Yuri Bashmet – viola,
Moscow Soloists
24-25 February 1995
Studio 103, Radio France, Paris
(P) 1996

05-06 Alfred Schnittke – String Trio
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Gidon Kremer – violin,
Yuri Bashmet – viola
24-25 February 1995
Studio 103, Radio France, Paris
(P) 1996

07 Alfred Schnittke – Minuet
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Gidon Kremer – violin,
Yuri Bashmet – viola
24-25 February 1995
Studio 103, Radio France, Paris
(P) 1996

08-12 Dmitri Shostakovich – Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok, Op. 127
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Galina Vishnevskaya – soprano,
Ulf Hoelscher – violin,
Vasso Devetzi – piano
28-29 October 1974
Salle Wagram, Paris
(P) 1976/1995

The Russian Years recordings:

CD 13: Beethoven, Schumann, Tchaikovsky
01 Ludwig van Beethoven – Triple Concerto in C, Op. 56 – I. Allegro
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
David Oistrakh – violin,
Sviatoslav Richter – piano,
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kyrill Kondrashin
05 January 1970
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

02-04 Robert Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
30 November 1960
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

05-12 Pyotr Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
30 November 1960
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

CD 14: Villa-Lobos, Respighi, Honegger, R. Strauss
01 Heitor Villa-Lobos – Bachianas brasileiras No. 1 – Preludio (Modhina)
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello, director
06 February 1962
Small Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

02 Ottorino Respighi – Adagio con variazioni
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kyrill Kondrashin

03-05 Arthur Honegger – Cello Concerto
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Victor Dubrovsky
14 February 1964
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

06-19 Richard Strauss – Don Quixote, Op. 35
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
L. Dvoskin – viola,
B. Simsky – violin,
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kyrill Kondrashin
12 March 1964
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

CD 15: Taneyev, Myaskovsky, Glazunov
01 Sergei Taneyev – Canzona
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano
Radio House, Moscow

02-03 Nikolai Myaskovsky – Cello Concerto in C minor, Op. 66
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Evgeni Svetlanov
14 January 1964
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

04 Alexander Glazunov – Concerto ballata in C, Op. 108
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Evgeni Svetlanov
14 January 1964
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

CD 16: Prokofiev
01-03 Sergei Prokofiev – Cello Sonata in C, Op. 119
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Sviatoslav Richter – piano
01 March 1950
Small Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

04-06 Sergei Prokofiev – Symphony-Concerto in E minor, Op. 125
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Israel Gusman (04), Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (05-06)
27 December 1972 (04) & 25 February 1964 (05-06)
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

07-09 Sergei Prokofiev – Cello Concertino, Op. 132
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Moscow Radio & Television Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
13 May 1964
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

CD 17: Shostakovich
01-04 Dmitri Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat, Op. 107
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
10 February 1961
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

05-07 Dmitri Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No. 2 in G, Op. 126
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Evgeni Svetlanov
25 September 1967
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

CD 18: Britten
01-09 Benjamin Britten – Cello Suite No. 1, Op. 72
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Benjamin Britten
15 February 1966
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

10-14 Benjamin Britten – Cello Suite No. 2, Op. 80
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Benjamin Britten
12 March 1964
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

15-18 Benjamin Britten – Cello Symphony, Op. 68
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Benjamin Britten
12 March 1964
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

CD 19: B. Tchaikovsky
01-05 Boris Tchaikovsky – Solo Cello Suite in D minor
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello
05 November 1961
Small Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

06-11 Boris Tchaikovsky – Partita for Cello, Piano, Harpsichord, Electric Guitar and Percussion
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano,
Boris Chaikovsky – harpsichord,
Messrs Khovov, Malichko and Godin – electric guitar, percussion
10 January 1967
Small Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

12-15 Boris Tchaikovsky – Cello Concerto
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kyrill Kondrashin
04 September 1966
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

CD 20: Tishchenko, A. Khachaturian, Toyama
01 Boris Tishchenko – Concerto for Cello, 17 Wind Instruments, Percussion and Organ, Op. 23 – Andante – Allegretto – Andante
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello
06 February 1966
Philharmonic Hall, Leningrad

02 Aram Khachaturian – Concerto-Rhapsody
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Aza Amintayeva – piano
04 April 1964
Small Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

03-08 Yuzo Toyama – Cello Concerto
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Moscow Radio & Television Orchestra, Yuzo Toyama
13 January 1967
Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow

CD 21: Lopes-Graca, Knipper, Weinberg
01-03 Fernando Lopes-Graca – Concerto da camera
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kyrill Kondrashin
1967
Moscow

04 Lev Knipper – Concerto-Monologue for Cello, Seven Brass Instruments and Two Kettledrums
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
25 February 1964
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

05-08 Mieczyslaw Weinberg – Cello Concerto, Op. 43
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
25 February 1964
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

CD 22: Shostakovich, Kabalevsky, K. Khachaturian
01-04 Dmitri Shostakovich – Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Dmitri Shostakovich – piano
Radio House, Moscow

05-07 Dmitri Kabalevsky – Cello Sonata in B flat, Op. 71
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Dmitri Kabalevsky – piano
06 February 1962
Small Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

08-11 Karen Khachaturian – Cello Sonata
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Karen Khachaturian – piano
10 January 1967
Small Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

CD 23: Stravinsky, Scriabin, Milhaud, Falla, Dvorak, R. Strauss, Sinding, Faure, Debussy, Shaporin, Popper, Schubert, Prokofiev, Handel
01 Igor Stravinsky – Mavra – Russian Song (Parasha’s Aria)
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

02 Igor Stravinsky – Le Baiser de la fee – Pas de deux: Adagio
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

03 Igor Stravinsky – Le Baiser de la fee – Variation & Coda
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

04 Alexander Scriabin – Etude in B flat minor, Op. 8, No. 11
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Vladimir Yampolsky – piano

05 Darius Milhaud – Saudades do Brasil, Op. 67 – Tijuca
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

06 Manuel de Falla – El amor brujo – Ritual Fire Dance
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

07 Antonin Dvorak – Silent Woods, B. 173
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Vladimir Yampolsky – piano

08 Richard Strauss – Stimmungsbilder, Op. 9 – An einsamer Quelle
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Vladimir Yampolsky – piano

09 Christian Sinding – Suite im alten Stil in A minor, Op. 10 – Presto
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

10 Gabriel Faure – Apres un reve, Op. 7, No. 1
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

11 Claude Debussy – Suite bergamasque – Clair de lune
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

12 Claude Debussy – Nocturne et scherzo
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

13 Yuri Shaporin – Romance: I see you
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Vladimir Yampolsky – piano

14 David Popper – Dance of the Elves, Op. 39
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

15 Franz Schubert – Impromptu No. 3 in G flat, D. 899, No. 3
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

16 Sergei Prokofiev – Cinderella – Adagio
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

17 Sergei Prokofiev – Cinderella – Waltz-Coda
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexei Zybtsev – piano

18 Sergei Prokofiev – March from ‘The Love for Three Oranges’
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexei Zybtsev – piano

19 George Frideric Handel – Sonata in D, HWV 371 – Larghetto
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Vladimir Yampolsky – piano

20 Yuri Shaporin – Elegy
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Vladimir Yampolsky – piano

21 Yuri Shaporin – Scherzo, Op. 25, No. 5
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Aza Amintayeva – piano

CD 24: Chopin, Myaskovsky, Shaporin
01-04 Frederic Chopin – Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano
Great Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

05-06 Frederic Chopin – Polonaise brillante, Op. 3
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

07-09 Nikolai Myaskovsky – Cello Sonata No. 2 in A minor, Op. 81
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano
10 January 1967
Small Hall, Moscow Conservatoire

10-13 Yuri Shaporin – Five pieces, Op. 25
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexander Dedyukhin – piano

CD 25: Piazzolla, Ustvolskaya, Schnittke
01 Astor Piazzolla – Le Grand Tango
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Igor Uriash – piano
22 November 1996,
St. Petersburg

02-06 Galina Ustvolskaya – Grand Duet
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Alexei Lubimov – piano
07-08 November 1996
Moscow

07-11 Alfred Schnittke – Cello Sonata No. 2
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Igor Uriash – piano
21-22 November 1996
St. Petersburg

12 Alfred Schnittke – Epilogue for Cello, Piano and Tape from the Ballet ‘Peer Gynt’
Mstislav Rostropovich – cello,
Igor Uriash – piano
17 September 1996
St. Petersburg

Documentary CD:

CD 26: The Life of Rostropovich
01 Childhood and Early Life
02 Studying with Shostakovich at the Moscow Conservatory
03 Prokofiev – Memories and Relationship, and Cello Sonata
04 Vaclav Talich and Dvorak’s Cello Concerto
05 Britten – Memories and Relationship
06 Conducting, and Relationship with London Symphony Orchestra
07 Shostakovich – Discussions and memories of recording Lady Macbeth
08 Shostakovich – Memories and Relationship
09 Letter to ‘Pravda’ criticising the Soviet Party
2002
London

A Treasure Trove of Recordings

I have purchased symphonic cycles before but never a set with so many CDs. My collection contained other recordings – the Shostakovich cello concerti and the Prokofiev cello works – but most of the EMI recordings in this set are new to me. This is an impressive tribute to Mstislav Rostropovich but what convinced me to buy it are the 13 CDs that were originally issued as “The Russian Years.” These recordings just managed to survive after Slava went into exile (because his name was removed from the tape reels) and they contain some priceless performances. For example, we can hear the world premiere of Benjamin Britten’s Cello Symphony conducted by the composer with the Moscow Philharmonic and the world premiere of Shostakovich’s Second Cello Concerto. Among other gems is the world premiere of Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata with Sviatoslav Richter, the world premiere of Boris Chiakovsky’s Cello Concerto and a disc where Slava performs sonatas by Shostakovich, Kabalevsky and Karen Khachaturian with the composers playing the piano. And this is just a sampling of the treasures recorded during Slava’s years in Russia.

There are some duplicated performances. Just to mention three: the Dvorak Concerto conducted by Sir Adrian Boult and Carlo Maria Guilini, the Brahms Double Concerto conducted by George Szell (with David Oistrahk) and Bernard Haitink (with Itzhak Perlman) and two of Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote with Herbert von Karajan and Kyrill Kondrashin. I found the two different readings of the Dvorak interesting as Guilini adopts a broader tempo than Boult producing an interesting contrast of interpretation.

Aside from familiar works, like the Dvorak Concerto, there is music that is not so familiar such as the Glazunov Concerto balata, Respighi’s Adagio con variazioni, Gubaidulina’s Canticle of the Sun and Schnittke’s Concerto for Three. One of the most interesting and delightful discs consists of short pieces for cello that Rostropovich played as encores and many times when visiting small villages where a cello had never been seen much less actually played. The selections include a transcription of Clair de lune, Stravinsky’s Mavra and Le Baiser de la fee and de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance. These short works make interesting listening and attest to the eloquence Rostropovich brought to these short-and sweet pieces.