Rostropovich: Cellist of the Century (Complete Warner Recordings)

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Rostropovich: Cellist of the Century (Complete Warner Recordings)
Mstislav Rostropovich (cello) with David Oistrakh (violin) Sviatoslav Richter (piano) Itzhak Perlman (violin) Alexander Dedyukhin (piano) etc

[ Warner Classics / 43 CD/DVD Box Set ]

Release Date: Monday 10 April 2017

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Although Mstislav Rostropovich died 10 years ago, on April 27th 2007, he remains a powerful presence on the world's cultural scene through his legacy as the greatest cellist of his time, as a brave advocate of human rights, and as a man of proverbial generosity and charisma, often known simply by his nickname, Slava. He would have celebrated his 90th birthday in 2017.

The phenomenal richness of his life and art is expressed in a magnificent 43-disc set released by Warner Classics on March 24th 2017: Mstislav Rostropovich: Cellist of the Century.

Mstislav Rostropovich: Cellist of the Century has been curated by Warner Classics in close collaboration with Rostropovich's daughters Elena and Olga Rostropovich, whose mother was the celebrated soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, Rostropovich's wife from 1955 until his death. The label was given unprecedented access to Rostropovich's personal archive; as a result, many rare photos and documents - including a letter of support for dissident Soviet writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn - enrich the 200-page hardback book that forms part of the box set. It also includes a comprehensive chronology and fascinating articles by Elizabeth Wilson, one of Rostropovich's students, and by Claude Samuel, a former head of Radio France and a close friend of Rostropovich.

The set, conceived as a deluxe edition, comprises 40 CDs and 3 DVDs and contains an even balance of studio and live recordings. The range and variety of music it offers is nothing short of extraordinary, embracing works by more than 60 composers. For solo cello, cello and piano, cello and chamber group, and cello and orchestra, they extend from the Baroque to the latter part of the 20th century and from essential repertoire to rarities. They also reflect both Rostropovich's mastery of the traditional cello repertoire and his commitment to new music: the dedicatee of over 120 new works, he numbered such composers as Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Britten among his close friends. A number of the live performances featured originate from Russian tapes saved from destruction by resourceful Soviet archivists when Rostropovich was exiled from the USSR (1974-1990), and which came back to light in the late 1990s. Another highlight is the complete Bach Cello Suites, presented here in both audio and video versions. In many senses these represent the culmination of Rostropovich's recording career; he waited until 1991 to set them down the studio. The box also contains a substantial and previously unpublished audio interview, dating from 2006, in which Rostropovich discusses Shostakovich with the journalist Jon Tolansky.

'Rostropovich, the master cellist, has a deep understanding of the Dvorak Concerto. Here his playing is coloured by the grace of Giulini's interpretation and by the beautifully lyrical accompaniment.' (Gramophone on the Dvorak with Carlo Maria Giulini)

"This is a quite extraordinary achievement. Not the least of its merits is that it leaves you loving the music as never before. The orchestra gives splendid support and the sound is warm and ingratiating." Gramophone on the Haydn

"The warm, expansive music-making confirms even more clearly than before that the old view of this as one of Beethoven's weaker works is quite wrong. The three Soviet soloists revel in the multiplicity of ideas, with Richter in the spare piano part providing a tautening influence." Penguin Guide on the Beethoven triple

"The Basilique Sainte Madeleine's stern, ornate and majestic setting provides the perfect visual and acoustic context for Rostropovich's fluid, commanding solo Bach. His valuable spoken prefaces to each suite include casual demonstrations at the piano and organ." Gramophone on the Bach Cello Suites DVD

Tracks:

includes

Bach, C P E:
Cello Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Wq. 171 (H436)
Collegium Musicum de Zurich, Paul Sacher

Bach, J S:
Cello Suites Nos. 1-6, BWV1007-1012
Chorale preludes
Adagio
Cello Suites Nos. 1-6, BWV1007-1012 (DVD)

Beethoven:
Triple Concerto for Piano, Violin, and Cello in C major, Op. 56
David Oistrakh (violin), Sviatoslav Richter (piano)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan

Variations (12) on "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" for Cello and Piano, Op. 66
Vasso Devetzi (piano)
Variations (12) on "See the conquering hero comes" for Cello and Piano, WoO 45
Vasso Devetzi (piano)

Triple Concerto for Piano, Violin, and Cello in C major, Op. 56
David Oistrakh (violin), Sviatoslav Richter (piano)
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin

Bloch, E:
Schelomo
Orchestre national de France, Leonard Bernstein

Brahms:
Cello Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 99
Alexander Dedyukhin (piano)

Double Concerto for Violin & Cello in A minor, Op. 102
Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell

Double Concerto for Violin & Cello in A minor, Op. 102
Itzhak Perlman (violin)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink

Britten:
Suites for cello solo, Nos. 1-3

Chopin:
Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65
Alexander Dedyukhin (piano)

Debussy:
Préludes - Book 1: No. 12, Minstrels
Alexander Dedyukhin (piano)

Clair de Lune (from Suite Bergamasque)
Alexander Dedyukhin (piano)

Dutilleux:
Tout un monde lointain (Concerto for cello and orchestra)
Orchestre de Paris, Serge Baudo

Dvorak:
Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Adrian Boult

Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini

Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa

Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 (DVD)
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini

Frescobaldi:
Toccata

Gagneux:
Triptyque pour violoncelle et orchestre
London Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa

Glazunov:
Concerto ballata in C major for cello and orchestra, Op. 108
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Evgeny Svetlanov

Gubaidulina:
The Canticle of the Sun
London Symphony Orchestra, London Voices, Ryusuke Numajiri

Handel:
Aria

Haydn:
Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb:1
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Iona Brown
Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major, Hob. VIIb:2 (Op. 101)
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Iona Brown

Hervelois:
Sieben altfranzösische Mädchenbilder

Hoddinott:
Noctis Equi, Scena for cello and orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano

Honegger:
Cello Concerto
London Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano

Cello Concerto
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin

Jolivet:
Cello Concerto No. 2 (1966)
Orchestre national de l'ORTF, André Jolivet

Kabalevsky:
Cello Sonata in B flat, Op. 71

Khachaturian:
Concerto-Rhapsody for Cello in D minor
Ana Amintayeva

Khachaturian, K:
Cello Sonata

Knaifel:
Make me drunk with your kisses
Choral Arts Society of Washington, Washington National Cathedral Choristers, National Cathedral School Lower School Chorus, Norman Scribner

Knipper:
Concerto-Monologue
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky

Landowski:
Un Enfant appelle
La Prison
Galina Vishnevskaya, Pierre Dux
Orchestre national de France, Marcel Landowski

Lopes Graca:
Concerto da cámera
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin

Lutosławski:
Cello Concerto
Orchestre de Paris, Witold Lutosławsk

Marcello, A:
Adagio from Oboe Concerto in D minor

Matthews, D:
Romanza
English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard

Miaskovsky:
Cello Concerto in C minor, Op. 66
Philharmonia Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent
Cello Concerto in C minor, Op. 66
Cello Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12

Milhaud:
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 1 Op. 136
London Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano

Moret, Norbert:
Cello Concerto
Collegium Musicum de Zurich, Paul Sacher

Penderecki:
Cello Concerto No. 2
London Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa

Piazzólla:
Le Grand Tango

Popper:
Dance of the Elves, Op. 39
Alexander Dedyukhin (piano)

Prokofiev:
Sinfonia Concertante in E minor for cello & orchestra, Op. 125
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent

Cello Sonata in C major, Op. 119
Sviatoslav Richter (piano)

Sinfonia Concertante in E minor for cello & orchestra, Op. 125
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Israel Gusman

Cello Concertino in G minor, Op. 132
Moscow Radio & Television Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky

Rachmaninov:
Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14
Alexander Dedyukhin (piano)

Respighi:
Adagio con variazioni for cello and orchestra
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin

Rheinberger:
Three pieces from Six Pieces for violin and organ, Op. 150

Saint-Saëns:
Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33
Philharmonia Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent
Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini
Prière for cello & piano, Op. 158
Herbert Tachezi (organ)
Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 (DVD)
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini

Schnittke:
Concerto for Three
Gidon Kremer (violin), Yuri Bashmet (viola)
Moscow Soloists

String Trio
Gidon Kremer (violin), Yuri Bashmet (viola)

Minuet for String Trio
Gidon Kremer (violin), Yuri Bashmet (viola)

Cello Sonata No. 2
Epilogue from the ballet Peer Gynt, for cello, piano and tape

Schumann:
Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
Orchestre national de France, Leonard Bernstein

Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky

Scriabin:
Étude Op. 8 No. 11 in B flat minor
Alexander Dedyukhin (piano)

Shaporin:
Five Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 25
Alexander Dedyukhin (piano)

Shchedrin:
Cello Concerto "sotto voce concerto" (1994)
London Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa

Shostakovich:
Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 107
London Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa

Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok, Op. 127
Galina Vishnevskaya, Ulf Hoelscher, Vasso Devetzi

Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 107
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky

Cello Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 126
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Evgeny Svetlanov

Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40

Strauss, R:
Cello Sonata in F major, Op. 6
Vasso Devetzi (piano)

Don Quixote, Op. 35
Ulrich Koch
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan

Don Quixote, Op. 35
Lazar Dvoskin (cello)
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Victor Dubrovsky

Taneyev, S:
Canzona in F minor
Alexander Dedyukhin

Tartini:
Cello Concerto in D major
Collegium Musicum de Zurich, Paul Sacher

Tchaikovsky:
Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa
Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky

Tchaikovsky, B:
Cello Suite
Cello Concerto
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin
Partita for Cello & Chamber Ensemble
A. Mamyko, Y. Godin, B. Tchaikovsky, A. Dedyukhin, I. Khovov

Tishchenko:
Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 23
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Igor Blazhkov

Toyama:
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
Moscow Radio & Television Orchestra, Yuzo Toyama

Ustvolskaya:
Grand Duet for Cello & Piano

Villa-Lobos:
Modinha

Vivaldi:
Concerto for cello, strings & continuo in D minor RV 406
Collegium Musicum de Zurich, Paul Sacher

Weinberg:
Cello Concerto in D Minor, Op. 43
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky

plus Recital of Short Pieces & Transcriptions
Debussy · Dvořák · Falla · Fauré · Handel · Milhaud · Popper · Prokofiev
Schubert · Scriabin · Shaporin · Sinding · R. Strauss · Stravinsky
and 'Mstislav Rostropovich on Dmitri Shostakovich - The Last Audio Interview'