This set of recordings made in 1963 by cellist
Mstislav Rostropovich and pianist
Sviatoslav Richter of
Beethoven's cello sonatas are the most virtuosic, the most lyrical, the most dramatic, the most expressive, the most intense, the most ecstatic, and, in a word, the greatest ever recorded. From the Empfindung style of the Op. 5 sonatas through the "Eroica" style of the Op. 69 sonata to the Elysium style of the Op. 102 sonatas,
Beethoven's five cello sonatas are a précis of the highlights of his career as a composer. And from their extraordinary virtuosity, through their singing tone and their muscular rhythms to their translucent ensemble,
Rostropovich and
Richter's performances are the scores aurally realized and transformed through their consummate musicianship. Of course, you should hear the
Casals/
Serkin for its soulful depths, the
Fournier/
Kempff for its noble lyricism, and the
Maisky/
Argerich for its passionate virtuosity. But at the end of the day, it's the
Rostropovich/
Richter that you'll want to go home with. Like
Schnabel's piano sonatas and
Kreisler and
Rupp's violin sonatas,
Rostropovich and
Richter's cello sonatas are the ones you'll want to grow old with. This is as good as it gets in this world.