Search - Luigi Boccherini, Max Bruch, Antonin Dvorak :: Pablo Casals Plays Works for Cello and Orchestra

Pablo Casals's Dvo?ák hasn't been out of the catalogues since it was made in 1936. A generation of music-lovers was imprinted with Casals's vision of the work, and it's still, to these ears, the best version of the greatest cello concerto ever written. Casals brings to it a big, bold tone, an almost vocal singing of the rich melodies without oversentimentalizing, and an unerring choice of tempos. He's aided by George Szell and the Czech orchestra; this music was in their blood and it shows. The Boccherini, in the corrupt Grutzmacher edition, may be a stylistic anachronism, but with such gorgeous playing, who cares? The Bruch gets a flowing, warm-hearted performance. Mark Obert-Thorn's transfers make these ancient classics sound fresh. --Dan Davis