How appropriate that only months after his unfortunate passing, many albums commemorating the exceptional career and artistry of cellist Mstislav Rostropovich are filling the shelves. The centerpiece of this particular CD is Dvorák's Cello Concerto, arguably the most famous concerto in the instrument's repertoire. This is a work Rostropovich recorded many times over his long career. Regrettably, this recording with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra does not find Rostropovich at his best, nor does the orchestra do an ...
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How appropriate that only months after his unfortunate passing, many albums commemorating the exceptional career and artistry of cellist Mstislav Rostropovich are filling the shelves. The centerpiece of this particular CD is Dvorák's Cello Concerto, arguably the most famous concerto in the instrument's repertoire. This is a work Rostropovich recorded many times over his long career. Regrettably, this recording with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra does not find Rostropovich at his best, nor does the orchestra do an especially brilliant job accompanying. Rostropovich has several uncharacteristic intonation problems and rapid passages are sometimes a bit sloppy. There's a glaring editing error in the third movement where two takes were spliced together incorrectly and several notes were omitted in the process. Those in the market for Rostropovich playing Dvorák would do much better to invest in his performance with either the Boston or London Symphony orchestras. The remainder of the album, which is...
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