Twelve pieces -- nine for cello and piano and three for cello and orchestra -- twelve recordings -- eight of which have never been released before on CD -- and twelve performances -- three different conductors with three different orchestras and three different pianists: what do they have in common? They have
Mstislav Rostropovich, the great Russian cellist, arguably the greatest cellist of the second half of the twentieth century. In these recordings from 1953 and 1954,
Rostropovich plays
Saint-Saëns and
Schumann's concertos in A minor plus Glazunov's Chant du ménéstral with the total confidence, complete dedication, consummate musicianship, and unreserved passion on the first disc, then comes back on the second disc with an unstoppable program of encores: a heroic Introduction and Polonaise brilliant by
Chopin, a seductive Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens by Borodin, a melting Adagio from the ballet Cinderella by
Prokofiev, an amusing Fünf Stücke im Volkston by
Schumann, and a jaw-dropping Moto perpetuo by
Paganini, plus four other supremely difficult numbers. Although the recordings are antique, they're still clean enough to let the full, rich, and soulful sound of the young
Rostropovich come through loud and clear. Although not for the
Rostropovich neophyte, fans of the cellist need not hesitate.