Le Violoncelle Du Siecle

CD1

1. Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104: II. Adagio ma non troppo
2. Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129: III. Sehr lebhaft
3. Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33: I. Allegro non troppo
4. Brahms: Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102: III. Vivace non troppo
5. Strauss: Don Quixote, Op. 35: Epilogue
6. Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
7. Prokofiev: Symphony-Concerto in E minor, Op. 125: III. Andante con moto
8. Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 107: I. Allegretto
9. Dutilleux: Tout un monde lointain…, Cello Concerto: V. Hymne (Allegro)

CD2

1. Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G, BWV 1007: I. Prelude
2. Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in D minor, RV 406 (ed. Malipiero): III. Minuetto
3. Tartini: Cello Concerto in D (ed. Rudolf Hindemith, rev. Hugh Wolff): IV. Allegro
4. Caix D'Hervelois: Portraits de jeunes filles de la France d’autrefois: La Lionnoise
5. Frescobaldi: Toccata (arr. Gaspar Cassadó)
6. Marcello: Adagio (arr. Bach, BWV 974)
7. Emmanuel Bach: Cello Concerto No. 2 in B-flat, H.436: III. Allegro assai
8. Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C, Hob.VIIb/1: III. Allegro molto
9. Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 2 in D, Hob.VIIb/2: III. Rondo: Allegro
10. Beethoven: 12 Variations in F on ‘Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen’ from Mozart Die Zauberflöte, Op. 66
11. Beethoven: 12 Variations in G on ‘See, the conquering hero comes’ from Handel Judas Maccabeus, WoO45
12. Chopin: Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65: IV. Finale. Allegro
13. Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 2 in F, Op. 99: II. Adagio affettuoso

CD3

1. Rachmaninov: Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14
2. Piazzolla: Le grand Tango
3. De Falla: El amor brujo: Ritual Fire Dance (arr. Piatigorsky)
4. Bach: Christus, der uns selig macht, Choral Prelude, BWV 747 (arr. Kodály)
5. Bach: Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C, BWV 564: Adagio (arr. Siloti)
6. Schubert: Impromptu in G-flat, D.899 No. 3 (transcr. Heifetz/Rostropovich)
7. Dvorak: Silent Woods, B.173
8. Scriabin: Etude in B-flat minor, Op. 8 No. 11 (arr. Piatigorsky)
9. Prokofiev: March from The Love for Three Oranges (arr. Rostropovich)
10. Britten: Cello Suite No. 2, Op. 80: III. Scherzo (Allegro molto)
11. Respighi: Adagio con variazioni
12. Saint-Saens: Prière, Op. 158
13. Faure: Après un rêve, Op. 7 No. 1 (transcr. Casals)
14. Debussy: Minstrels (Preludes, Book 1, No. 12)
15. Debussy:Clair de lune (Suite bergamasque, No. 3)
16. Milhaud: Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 136: Joyeux

The greatest cellist of his time, and a man of enormous generosity and charisma, Mstislav Rostropovich (1927-2007) became an influential figure in the world’s culture. Composers such as Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Britten numbered among his many friends, and his mastery of traditional repertoire was matched by his passion for new music. Exiled from the Soviet Union in the 1970s for daring to advocate freedom of expression, Rostropovich later played an active role in Russia’s transition from Communism to democracy. The range and richness of his life and art are expressed in the magnificently varied music in this 3-CD collection.