I want to build a compelling cello music collection

The Starker box set of his Mercury Living Presence recordings is well worth getting.  Three of the ten CDs are his Bach suites - arguably none finer.

Thoroughly enjoying Sol Gabetta albums on Deutsche Grammaphon.  'Duo' with Helene Grimed on piano has the Brahms E minor Sonata and the Shostakovich Sonata.  Great playing.  Glad to see that she's opening The Proms this year.

Casals should be a part of the collection. He might not be a modern day wiz-bang technician but there are so much humanity and soul in his playing I found very special.

A wonderful BBC documentary here.

My favourite is this moving Song of the Birds:

Try this.

There's is a lot to recommend these day. I find for instance this specific recording of the newer guy on the block quite good....

Give this album from Pieter also a try, very special...

In spite of having a pro cello player brother (or perhaps due to that, I still remember interminable afternoons at home as two youngsters when I tried to do my contrapunkt exercises while he was practicing in the next room), I am not very fond of the cello; yet there are a few things I really love: Antonio Janigro playing the Bach Suites, on Vanguard; the same Suites played by Daniel Shafran; Daniel Shafran playing Kabalevsky's Second Cello Concerto; I also have a recording of Nikolaus Harnoncourt playing the Bach Suites. Another interesting disc, of a more unusual kind, is Thomas Demenga, a very good Swiss cellist, improvising along with a pipe organ in 'Cellorganics', on ECM. Strange music, great cello playing.

This lady has n interesting overall collection, not everything good of course..., but also in high res...

Maisky has of course also some average albums, but quite a number of the chamber music recordings with Martha Argerich are good...

I have his full collection. Quite a bit of average stuff - but also quite a number of jewels...

Steven has some excellent recordings. His last one is also a good album....

Last recommendation is for Zoe with modern cello music from Bandcamp....

This is very special. Composers son conducting, Heinrich Schiff soloist. Great recording and HiFi too. I'm trying out SuperLumina Interconnect this week and played this last night. Truly gobsmacking. Opening movement of 1st Concerto Particularly.

This is great too. If you want to find it, below is my cover artwork, but I think it has been reissued with new artwork since. 

Nice too. I love Decca recordings and can't beat the composer himself on the ivories and the mighty Slava working up a lather on the big violin! I like Britten's music, but I guess not everyone does..

P.s I haven't heard too many rival versions, but would +1 Mr Dane's recommendation of Janos Starker on Mercury Living Presence for the Bach Suites.

In slightly different direction, try some David Darling on ECM

Some excellent British cello concertos, Elgar of course (Isserlis is very good), Finzi (Wallfish), Leighton (Wallfish again), Moeran... Schumann's Cello concerto is a gem too (perhaps Queyras's recent recording? Haven't seen a review yet).

kevin J Carden posted:

This is very special. Composers son conducting, Heinrich Schiff soloist. Great recording and HiFi too. I'm trying out SuperLumina Interconnect this week and played this last night. Truly gobsmacking. Opening movement of 1st Concerto Particularly.

Schiff rocks!@

Bert Schurink posted:

Give this album from Pieter also a try, very special...

 

+1. Love this record.

I missed out on her, she is also an interesting new cello star...

Thanks for all of the suggestions!  I found many, used, on Amazon, so I've ordered a few   I'm going to keep looking for a cheap copy of the Starker box however.

Bart posted:

Thanks for all of the suggestions!  I found many, used, on Amazon, so I've ordered a few   I'm going to keep looking for a cheap copy of the Starker box however.

Starker is part of more boxes. I have quite something from him, just out of the more generic collection boxes. 

Bart - indeed the Starker Mercury recordings do seem to be offered at crazy prices on The websites I tried. Dunno why.

However, Whilst there I spotted this offered at £6 odd. It's a later recording on Sony/RCA made in 1992. I don't know it at all, but Online reviews are positive and say the sound is great. Might be worth a try at such a cheap ticket?

HDTracks has a "Mercury Living Presence" label version of Starker playing Bach's cello suites.  Does anyone have any experience with it?

That's the one I have and also the one Richard referred to. Go for it.