# A Few Of Your Favorite Rostropovich Recordings



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I'm interested in hearing about some of your favorites!

As I mentioned in the Current Listening thread, I'm into the Schnittke Cello Concerto No. 2 at the present time. The Britten Cello Symphony recorded on London is another favorite.


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## Evelina (Sep 30, 2011)

Rostropovich is my go-to for Bach's Cello Suites. One of my favorites of his is Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante and Miaskovsky's Cello Concerto (EMI Classics). I also like to blast his rendition of Vivaldi's Cello Concerto in D minor when I need an energy boost!


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

The Dutilleux & Lutoslawski cello concertos recording is superb. I'd second his Prokofiev/Myaskovsky recording, his first one done in the West (now coupled with a bonus track of him playing Rachmaninov's _Vocalise_, beautiful in all ways). I also used to have a recording of Dvorak's concerto and the Tchaikovsky _Rococo Variations _under Maestro Ozawa, it was great, my introduction to both works.

As a conductor, I've heard a friend's disc of him at the helm of Prokofiev's _Romeo & Juliet_, a composer he personally knew, so it's great of course. I understand his Shostakovich recordings, both as cellist & conductor, are great.

I think he was stronger in the Romantic and Modern repertoire than the older stuff, imho (he commissioned more contemporary cello works than any other cellist of his time, thanks to him we have something between 100-200 new works in the repertoire, which is truly phenomenal).

He was an inspiring man at odds with the regime of the USSR. When Soviet and Warsaw Pact tanks rolled into Prague in 1968, crushing the Prague Spring, "Slava" was in London about to give a concert with a visiting Russian orchestra. There were protests against what the government of his country were doing outside the concert hall. But Rostropovich mounted the rostrum, amidst some tension, and played the Dvorak cello concerto, with tears in his eyes throughout the piece, he poured his soul into it, it became a lament and requiem for the Czech people. He was Russian through and through but on that day, he was on the side of the Czech & Slovak peoples in their fight for freedom. No wonder that about a decade later he left the USSR & eventually settled in the USA, as far as I remember.

In a word, he was a pivotal musician - and more - of the 20th century, full stop...


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## Taneyev (Jan 19, 2009)

Grieg son. with Richter - Prokofiev son.with Dedukhin - Khatchaturian son.with him -Honegger concerto - Henri Sauguet concerto
Bridge son.wir Britten - Vladimir Vlasov concerto - Britten Symphony op.68 with him - Vainberg concerto - Khatchaturian Concerto-Raphsody.......


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I've mentioned it a few times before, but there's a lovely recording of him playing the Schubert Arpeggione Sonata with Britten on piano.


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## billeames (Jan 17, 2014)

Prokofiev War and Peace, Shostakovich Symphonies Warner Classics. Shost 5th DG. Bach Cello suites. Tchaikovsky symphonies EMI.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

I bought the Shostakovich cycle a long while ago. Big mistake. Every time they come up in the circulation, I skip by them. There are MUCH better Shostakovich symphonies out there. Rostropovich is better on the cello than conducting. As a conductor, he is way too wayward. The only thing I can think of where his conducting style suits the material is Tchaikovsky.


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