The Elgar Cello Concerto and cellist Jacqueline du Pré are inextricably linked and this 1965 EMI recording of du Pré with John Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra is the first great recoding of the work the ill-fated artist was to make. Barbirolli's invitation for the 21-year-old du Pré to perform the concerto thrust her into the international spotlight and remains one of her most cherished recordings. No one could ever fault du Pré for a lack of drama or intensity. Some would even say that these characteristics ...
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The Elgar Cello Concerto and cellist Jacqueline du Pré are inextricably linked and this 1965 EMI recording of du Pré with John Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra is the first great recoding of the work the ill-fated artist was to make. Barbirolli's invitation for the 21-year-old du Pré to perform the concerto thrust her into the international spotlight and remains one of her most cherished recordings. No one could ever fault du Pré for a lack of drama or intensity. Some would even say that these characteristics are overly exaggerated in her playing. But this performance breathes such passion, such nuance, and such yearning into the concerto that it quickly elevated it into one of his most recognizable compositions. Few have come close to the power of the du Pré's first movement, the nimble sprightliness of the second, the emotional impact of the third, or the nobility of the finale. Du Pré was not the only one making history with Barbirolli. The young mezzo-soprano Janet Baker also joined...
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