Symphonies 1-6/Manfred Symphony

Author: Rostropovich, Mstislav

Format: Box set

Release date: 27-06-2008

Details: Mstislav Rostropovich, who died in April 2007 a month after his 80th birthday, was one of the greatest musicians ever to have lived. He was a supreme cellist and a fine pianist and, although his conducting style was described as extrovert, he was able to stimulate distinctive and great performances from his players and singers through his innate musicality and natural charm as well as by his enthusiasm and knowledge of the work. He was also a man who transcended musical boundaries and was recognized as a great man of the people by his support of dissidents and his defiance of the Communist authorities in the country of his birth. Being stripped of his Russian citizenship was a terrible blow to him as he truly loved the country and its music and one sensed that his performances of Russian music showed his inner strength and the depth of his love. There can be few composers who wrote such overtly romantic music with such memorable melodies, brilliantly orchestrated, mixed with spontaneous emotion as Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky. In just one month - October 1976 - Slava, as Rostropovich was known by all his friends, was able to commit his readings of all the Symphonies (the six numbered and Manfred) to record. The orchestra was the London Philharmonic who readily responded to his ideas; being a cellist he knows how to make the orchestra "sing" the melodies and being a man who was steeped in the Russian traditions and knew Russian church music with its religious processions he was able to bring extra meaning to parts of the music, especially to show the brass how to breathe in the funeral chorale near to the end of the last Symphony, the Pathétique. The set is completed by the two most popular tone poems - Romeo & Juliet and Francesca da Rimini - which he recorded the following year. This set is truly a fine memorial to a remarkable man and musician.

EAN: 5099951949327

Languages: English

Binding: audio CD

Article note: extra box, archive goods played 1-2 times, libretto also absolutely mint, shipping from Germany

Item Condition: Used - Like new