Search - Mstislav Rostropovich :: Slava 75: The Official 75th Birthday Edition

EMI's 75th birthday tribute to Mstislav Rostropovich includes notable performances by the great cellist as soloist and conductor. The set's title refers to the nickname by which his admirers, who include just about all music lovers, know him. Slava's protean talents are on full display here, from his deeply felt, moving Bach C Major Cello Suite to his equally moving, ferocious performance of Shostakovich's grim Symphony No. 8 with Washington's National Symphony, which he directed for many years. Among such pearls, though, are some less-than-glorious examples of his art, notably a torpid, overweight rendition of Dvorak's "New World" Symphony. The Shostakovich symphony, gripping from start to finish, is one of the best recordings of that great work, and EMI was wise to license it from Teldec for this set. The pair of Haydn Cello Concertos, enlivened by Slava's big, all-embracing tone, display an old-fashioned approach to the music, but they're played with such affectionate warmth that even "authentic performance" enthusiasts should enjoy it. The Dvorak Concerto, hampered by Giulini's slack interpretation, doesn't measure up to Slava's other recorded versions with Talich, von Karajan, and Ozawa. To compensate, there's the Beethoven Triple Concerto, on which Slava's partnered by Sviatoslav Richter and David Oistrakh under von Karajan's baton, a classic recording of the work. --Dan Davis