I ignored this recording because I was like, he’s not a conductor. But when I listened to the first track of Swan Lake… I was instantly spellbound. The fluidity, the drama, the holding and releasing of tension… I learned never to hold such a prejudice again. The whole disc is a massive pleasure!
I bought this recording after a critic recommended it on a nationally syndicated radio program 30-35 years ago and I have to say that it deserves its reputation for greatness.
When these performances were originally issued on LP they were spread across two separately issued discs, one with the Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty suites, one with the Nutcracker suite, Capriccio Italien ,and the Andante Cantabile. I bought the first disc and was blown away by the overall excellence and authority of the performances. When I made the leap to CD I found all three suites on a mid-price DG Galleria CD, and I continue to enjoy that disc to this day. I understand that when Rostropovich was asked about his approach in conducting this music with the BPO, he said that conducting this orchestra was akin to driving a locomotive; you just point where you want to go and the ensemble takes over. Too bad he didn't have other opportunities to work with them on record. Justifiably a reference for this repertoire.
have you seen the youtube film of Rostropovich conducting Barber, Adagio for strings? Profoundly moving. Complete with the “cretin” who shouts out and destroys the magic moment of silence after the finish
This is a really stunning interpretation ! On a completely different subject -- I'd be curious to know about the reference recording(s) for the Bartok string quartets. Vegh Quartet ? Takacs ?
I’d put my money on Takacs. That Decca release had everybody talking about it. The HMV store in downtown Toronto where I used to spend hours in the late 90s and early millennium were really pushing this. Which led me to purchase it as my first Bartok CD even before I got my hands on more famous works such as the concerto for orchestra. Still one of my faves.
He matured as an opera conductor. His early studio sets Onegin and Tosca had too many musical gestures which hit a wall and slowly dripped down. But the Boris and Pique Dame are dramatic and exciting
