Search - Daniel Barenboim, Johannes Brahms, Max Bruch :: Brahms: Cello Sonatas; Bruch: Kol Nidrei; Jacqueline Du Pre

For Du Pre Fans Only, Not Her Definitive Cello Sonatas

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 07/11/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This first time CD issue has been released to much fanfare, but it is really only for Du Pre fans. These are not the famous studio performances that have been most recently issued on an EMI Double Forte along with her classic recordings of Chopin and Franck. Instead these are mono performances from 1968 recorded by Christopher Nupen, and released to accompany his documentary film on Du Pre. As for the Bruch, well, let's just say Barenboim has always been hit or miss for me as a conductor, and here it's a miss. For Du Pre completists this disc is a must, for those looking for a great rendition of Brahms' Cello Sonatas, get the Starker/Sebok on Mercury Living Presence (see my review), either the Sony or RCA recordings by Ax and Ma, or the aforementioned Du Pre/Barenboim EMI Double Forte."

Eye opening.

Hannah M. | GA | 10/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax introduced me to these sonatas. But it was not until I got this recording that I heard how they were really supposed to sound.



I bought this on a whim. Being a pianist, I'm not very familiar with famous cellists or even the cello repertoire. The little I'd heard about du Pré intrigued me, and I decided to give her a chance. Wow. Talk about eye opening. All of a sudden the sonatas came alive -- I saw things, heard things I had never realized before. Du Pré isn't renowned for nothing. She's dramatic, yes. She stretches the music, yes. But it's not overdone. It's exactly what these pieces need.



I'm not too fond of the Bruch selection included in this recording. But buy it for the Brahms. It's well worth your money.

"

WHO CARES ABOUT THE REST OF THE CD, GET IT FOR THE BRAHMS!!!

Bryan | Texas, USA | 10/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the greatest reccording out there of the Brahms sonata. The first movement makes the whole cd worth it. It feels like she is performing with the f-holes right in front of you. The tone of her then approx. 250 y/o Strad Davidov is gorgeous. This is a must have."