Recommendation: Dvorak's cello concerto

Check out the February 2011 Gramophone. The review (page 54) discusses 34 different recordings. The recommendations are Angelica May/Neumann, Janos Starker/Dorati and Jacqueline du Pre/Celibidache. I haven't heard these and confess to enjoying du Pre/Barenboim. The best live performance I ever heard was by Rostropovich, his recordings have had mixed reviews.

I have a few, and have heard a few more.

The best that I've heard is Pierre Fournier's 1962 DG account under the Berlin PO/Szell, Szell's only recording with the Berliners.

Available as a cheap DG CD, and (apparently) an expensive LP from a specialist supplier.

G

EJ,

it's a shame you insist on a modern recording because in my view it has to be either the Fournier account mentioned above, or else Starker on Mercury.  The latter benefits from sound quality that puts many modern recordings to shame.  There's a lovely box set available on vinyl, if you're feeling flush, otherwise both should be readily available on CD or download.

In addition to those already mentioned, I would add a few others.

Of course Casals made a very fine recording of this on 78s for HMV/EMI in the 1930s, and this may be found second hand on CD if you are lucky. The original recording is first rate and the EMI transfer is top quality

Rostrpovich recorded this concerto many times, and two recordings that stand out for me are the ones with Talich and the Czech Phil on Suprafon recorded about 1950 or 1952. The recording is mono and very well balanced and spacious. Talich was a master conductor and provides a wonderful and positive support to his soloist. The other one [which I prefer even so] is for EMI with Sir Adrian Boult and the RPO in an utterly glorious recording musically and technically. Boult is even more inspiring as an accompanist than Talich, and there is a real feeling of a "colaboration" between the performers. Available on a superb CD transfer on Testament.

Two other recordings also on Testamant CDs to consider are those of Navarra and Fournier. Navarra was one of great masters on the cello, and his reading is less driven or demonstrative than most, but his accompaniment was provided by what was styled the "National Philharmonic" under Rudolf Schwarz. Schwarz is certainly provides a very firm and clear sighted accompaniment for Navarra to cast his spell within! A nicely different take from two great artists.

And on to my favourite of all. Pierre Fournier with Kubelic. This is a late 78 Abbey Road Studio One recording, and as a recording it is well balanced if a little cramped and dry in sound as some late 78s were as the engineers attempted to get a brighter more full frequency recording quality. The pre-War Cassals recording is better as a recording, for example. But Fournier's way with the music is so full of detailed observations of the potential of the music to entrance! One forgets the recording as soon as the soloist makes his presence felt! I remember taking this recording to a cellist friend of mine. He always used to say that Starker's was the best recorded version up till then. In fact he was so curious about some of the detail in Fournier's reading that we consulted the score, and what we found was that Fournier was very faithful to the markings in the part, and yet sounded as free and expressive in the end result ... we concluded that he had clearly spent a lot of effort firstly absorbing the music, and then was able to let it fly free as an eagle souring in the emotional heights ...

I know that none of my suggestions really fit into the category of brilliant modern sounding recordings, though the [EMI stereo] Rostropovich/Boult set would rival most modern recordings even after more than 50 years.

ATB from George  

All,

Thanks for the suggestions. Most of the recommended recordings are available as streams on the 'net and I've been listening to most of them. The unexpected delights were Du Pre / Barenboim (intense beyond words), Fournier / Kubelik and Rostropovitch / Giulini. Starker / Dorati didn't move me as much as I hoped given the recording's legacy. May / Neumann I've heard snippets of, and also sounds promising. To be continued!

Cheers,

EJ

Pieter Wispelwey's first recording, from 1996, is a real find as well. The performance is comparatively small scale but Wispelwey and Renes give a gritty performance and are in tune with the music's autumn colors. 

Cheers,

EJ

Mstislav Rostropovich made at least four official recordings of Dvorak's concerto, this is the third one and as far as I can tell from reviews, the least appreciated of all four. What sets it apart is Giulini's lyrical way with Dvorak's gorgeous music, and Slava's with him all the way and totally committed. Recording seems exceptional, although with a touch too much emphasis on the cello, but the remastering is only so-so - too many of EMI's GROC recordings suffer from a digital edge which wasn't there in the original masterings. Still, very happy with this recording.

EJ

Du Pre / Barenboim has been a favorite of mine for literally decades, but I see from this thread that I'm not alone