Rostropovich rareties
These broadcast recordings boast premieres and an astonishingly starry supporting cast
Mstislav Rostropovich in Moscow
Works by Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Kabalevsky et al Mstislav Rostropovich (cello), Sviatoslav Richter et al (piano), USSR State Symphony Orchestra/gennady Rozhdestvensky Profil Hanssler PHI18062 200:43 mins (4 discs) This four-disc set is worth the investment just for the opening piece. Any world premiere is intriguing, but the first performance of Prokofiev’s C major Cello Sonata in 1950 boasts Mstislav Rostropovich and Sviatoslav Richter on absolutely sublime form. This extraordinary performance, by turns poetic and searing, is merely the jewel in the crown of a set of enticing live recordings made across the following 12 years. Other genuinely historic performances include the cello sonatas by Shostakovich and Kabalevsky each with the composer at the piano. Then there are the concerto performances, the USSR Symphony Orchestra under Rozhdestvensky feeding off Rostropovich’s bleak humour in Shostakovich’s First Concerto and his sense of fun in Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations. The sound of these broadcast recordings is often woolly, distant or boomy, but Rostropovich’s supreme musicianship shines through and the sequence of encore pieces that follow the Saint-saëns concerto on the final disc are a sheer delight. ★★★★★