Late Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 (edited) There's already a thread here for the Bach Cello Suites, and, expanding on the good recommendations there, I thought I'd solicit recommendations for music for cello in general. What music for cello (sonatas, concerti, unaccompanied, chamber ensemble, etc.) do you particularly like? I'll start with a disc I'm listening to right now: This Tortelier recording really clicks for me. It doesn't try to be historically informed (at least to my ears), the harpsichord notwithstanding. The recorded sound from 1965 is superb. Edited March 8, 2016 by Late Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 I keep reaching for this one. Such magnificent music and great performances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 (edited) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcxI-A-liW8 Dutilleux, 3 Strophes sur le nom Sacher Edited March 9, 2016 by T.D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 (edited) A few Brit cello pieces. The Elgar concerto is an obvious choice but this new recording couples it with the lesser known, beautifully nocturnal Walton Concerto. You also get Holst's lovely 'Invocation' and a short solo suite by Imogen Holst, 'The Fall of the Leaf'. There's a feast of mid-20thC cello on this 2CD. I particularly like the Cello Symphony...would appeal to those who like late-Shostakovich (Britten and Shostakovich were mutual admirers). Oration is a very moving cello and orchestra piece, Bridge's reflection on the First World War. Another beautiful early 20thC concerto. On a smaller scale, a wonderful collection of pieces. I've played this regularly for thirty odd years. All records illustrated are the ones I play. No idea where they stand in the 'who's best?' sweepstakes. There are often multiple alternatives. Edited March 9, 2016 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan Wood Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 20 hours ago, jazzbo said: I keep reaching for this one. Such magnificent music and great performances. Picked up an LP set of Janigro and Carlo Zecchi a while ago. Zecchi (a Busoni and Schnabel pupil) was one heck of a pianist. Also like Fournier and Schnabel, though it has sonic limitations: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Shostakovich: Concerto No. 1 for Cello and Orchestra Kodaly: Sonata for Cello Solo Opus 8 (The Kodaly has already been mentioned, but I thought I'd throw in another performance.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 (edited) Second Bev's Elgar rec, and I'll throw in another probably obvious one -- Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1 in C. It, along with the Elgar and a feast of other cello music, are on the Jacqueline Du Pre EMI box set, which I wouldn't be without. Edited March 9, 2016 by papsrus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 A very nice series from recent years. I know British classical music excites little interest beyond these shores (not a complaint, we're quite happy to keep it to ourselves!) beyond a few pieces, but if you want something accessible but different: Don't be scared by all the sheep! I'm not a great John Tavener fan (way too 'mystical' and god-bothering for me) but this piece has becoming very popular over the years - one of those rare contemporary pieces to get a foothold into concert platforms: Engaging piece though I'm not sure this version exists any more. There have been other recordings (again unusual for a contemporary piece). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Tavener - used to see him in the supermarket ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 1 hour ago, sidewinder said: Tavener - used to see him in the supermarket ! Don't believe it...angels used to deliver his groceries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 I believe that the Britten has already been mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 (edited) Don Quixote has some beautiful cello (and viola) up front. Wide range of recordings from over the years to choose from. And if you're up for something a bit more challenging: Won't pretend to be thoroughly au fait with this but every time I've listened it's made me want to come back again. 'Ricercare una Melodia' is particularly striking. Edited March 10, 2016 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psu_13 Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 This is nice: http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Works-Cello-Piano-Bailey/dp/B004IA25HE/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kh1958 Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 (edited) Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal, Musique de Nuit. Kora and cello duets, a beautiful recording, about half of which was recorded on the roof of Ballake Sissoko's home in Bamako, Mali. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010VH36JI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00 Edited March 10, 2016 by kh1958 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Friedman Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 Here are some of the cello recordings I like. Could have also included some things by Rostropovich and by Starker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 In that same Zender series I like though some of the accompanying pieces may not be to everyone's taste (12-tone/serial) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Posted March 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Great recommendations — thanks, and keep them coming! Some of the cellists listed above are entirely new to me. A few questions/comments: • Aldo Parisot — Is the Kodaly/Bach disc only available as a CD-R? Amazon gives me that impression. (Are you just as well off purchasing the mp3's?) • Paul Watkins — Thanks for bringing him to my attention. Raphael Wallfisch has been making a parallel series of British music for cello (mostly reissued on Naxos) that I would recommend. Wallfisch's recordings on Nimbus are ... extensive. • Antonio Janigro — That Beethoven with Zecchi is really nice! I'm supposing it's not available digitally anywhere. Does anyone here have Janigro's Bach Suites on Doremi? Worth the investment? I'm kind of overloaded on versions of the Suites, but I'm always open to one more. Three more recommended cellists to add to the list: • György Déri — These are all works for solo cello. Look at that list of composers! When Ligeti is the most recognizable name (well, that'd be my guess), you know you're in for some surprises. Déri has an appealing dark sound (that I always look/listen for in cellists). • Esther Nyffenegger — Has anyone here heard, or heard of, the Swiss cellist Esther Nyffenegger? The (cheaply-titled) "Cello Jewels" is a 7-disc affordably-priced box set that contains standard sonata repertoire along with some lesser known works for cello and piano. Nyffenegger's Beethoven can stand alongside much more famous recordings with ease. Her Brahms, I'd say, is superior to many more familiar recordings. Nyffenegger studied with Casals around the same time that Jacqueline du Pré did, and while du Pré's star shone much more brightly, Nyffenegger quietly made excellent, and contemporaneous, recordings. • Wen-Sinn Yang — Piatti is to the cello what Paganini is to the violin. This is quite possibly the most virtuosic cello playing I have ever heard. Yang is an utterly flawless cellist, never playing out-of-tune, and always paying attention to the finest details of articulation and phrasing. I suspect that some listeners would find his playing somewhat calculated, and perhaps that's true, but one thing (I'd say) is also true: Yang isn't flashy, and his playing doesn't bear the sometimes off-putting qualities of the virtuoso. Yang has also recorded Kodaly, Cassado, and various other virtuoso works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balladeer Posted March 12, 2016 Report Share Posted March 12, 2016 Once more the haunting Elgar. But this time it´s the other composer´s concerto I´d like to recommend: Hans Gal: Antonio Meneses, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Claudio Cruz: Elgar Cello Concerto, Hans Gal Cello Concerto op 67 (Avie) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarThrower Posted March 25, 2016 Report Share Posted March 25, 2016 Ligeti-Sonata for solo cello, cello concerto Ginastera-Cello Concerto No.2 Schnittke-Cello Concertos Honegger-Cello concerto Britten Cello Suites Lutoslawski-Cello Concerto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted March 25, 2016 Report Share Posted March 25, 2016 Excellent music, superb performances and as additional bonus a truly glorious audio quality .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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