Repertoire: The BEST and LESS BEST Dvořak Cello Concerto Recordings

Dvořak's Cello Concerto is inarguably the greatest work of its kind. It has been recorded, often multiple times, by all of the world's greatest cellists, and so it exists in countless fine--often superlative--recordings. Here are a dozen and a half versions worth considering, but even this only scratches the surface. One thing that's absolutely essential in any great performance of this epic, thoroughly symphonic work: distinctive contributions from both the soloist and the conductor, alongside engineering that takes into account the need to treat the cello and orchestra as equally important protagonists.

[BVcello]

Pierre Fournier with Szell for me... It's been with me since my youth. It has inspired me since and continues to do so even today. To me, this is one of those recordings that simply cannot be replaced. Fournier was such a sophisticated musician (in the good sense of the word). His sound brings a shine and expression to this music that is unsurpassed (eg. listen to the 3rd movement, solo with violin)... I know I'm biased, but I don't care.

[ozoz]

So funny, I have my own Albert Catell story also at Tower Records but if memory serves it was at the downtown Tower Annex on West 4th and Lafayette. I was perusing the opera section looking at a Die Walkure when this very elegantly dressed older gentleman commented on my selection with the fact that he had played cello or both Furtwangler and Toscanini. At first I thought that this guy was a bit odd but the more he spoke the more charming and believable he was. In fact, he told me that he had just been interviewed for a bio of Furtwangler (which naturally, upon my first opportunity I found the book, checked the index and sure enough, there he was!). I remember two quotes of his in particular - that Bernstein was “a genius, music from head to toe” and that Bruno Walter was “a pig!”. He gave me his card which said that he was with the NY Chamber Orchestra and at my first opportunity I found and purchased his recording of the Dvorak on Memoria which remains one of my most cherished possessions. I regret that I never followed up and called him - what a fine, old world gentleman! As a side note, hopefully you will one day speak of Sixten Ehrling who I also had the honor of meeting and speaking with at Tower (this time the one near Lincoln Center on Broadway and 66th) - I have a wonderful story he shared about a meeting he had a the home of Sibelius. In the meantime, thank you and I’ll keep on listening!

[vinylarchaeologist]

I'm so happy I discovered your channel first minute. Otherwise I would've needed months and months to catch up. You are so prolific! And I enjoy every bit of it. Thank you!

[frankgyure]

Szell/Fournier/BPO. There is a magisterial/aristocratic sense in this recording. It is unmatched. The desert island performance of the Dvorak Cello Concerto.

[jasonklein]

Having gotten the Rostropovich/Talich 1952 LP for something like 50 cents, I took it to his St. Louis Symphony performance in '66 to have him autograph it. He wrote, in his incomparable English, "1950!! Very old--end bed!" So it stands to reason he later preferred the less "bed" Ozawa recording. I still own and treasure that LP, even if the performance is grainy and lacking in tonal sheen.

[tgylfason]

Even so, your talks are most enjoyable and informative, many thanks.

[BariTone-vr]

TOTALLY with Schiff - Previn and my favorite VPO!!! Glorious recording and performance. Phillips always seemed to capture the sonics of the VPO and the Musikverein so perfectly. This is a treasure. So glad you love it too.

[chriswrenn]

I only found your YouTube page this month & I enjoy your talks immensely! Thank you so much! I hope you're taking good care of your voice, throat & overall health.
I must admit my first experience with the Dvorak Cello Concerto is also my favorite so far--Gaspard Cassado with Jonel Perlea & the Pro Musica Orchestra Vienna. Such a warm-hearted performance! But I've been collecting other recordings, including some you recommended, like Szell/Fournier & Rostropovich's first recording with Talich & the Czech Philharmonic. Still behind on listening to those.

[hugocalisto]

Great video, Dave. And since you mentioned it, I think we are all eagerly awaiting your review of the Ormandy box. :)

[ctfamily]

One need only take a look at the complete instrumentation- three horns rather than the typical four- to understand how personally and specifically Dvorak considered the colors (and indeed everything else) in this work. Nothing is superfluous in this piece- he knew exactly what he wanted to say, and said it, gloriously.

[OuterGalaxyLounge]

When you said "his Gucci cello and his Yves St Laurent cello" I choked on my coffee. You almost killed me, dude. lol.

[dmntuba]

I've always felt the Dvorak is not only the greatest cello concerto, but overall the most perfect of all concertos.

[WilliamBlossom-xltg]

Loved learning about the Albert Catell CD. I had the pleasure of performing a “Trout” Quintet with him. I’m a bass player. I also saw him from time to time in a violin shop where I worked part time. He liked to pop in and regal us with stories and opinions on the state of music while trying out cellos. Truly the last grand old man. Thank you!

[alanmcginn]

Dave. Amazing that you talk about that Tower Records at Lincoln Center. Fun fact. My first exposure to you was those 10/10 Classics Today Sheets at the checkout counter. You remember those!! Oh wow. We are going back a long time! That Tower Records was amazing. When I lived on the UWS I used to spend hours in the classical section. Incredible talk by the way. And a gorgeous piece of music. I dont have the Schiff / Previn and I am going to download now.

[danielenot]

This time Dave you managed to shock me..I would never have thought that at the end you were going to single out exactly my favorite version! It's a wonderful performance, and hardly anyone knows It, since at the time Philips distributed it so poorly (I remember finding it in some bargain bin).Great video, BTW!

[EdLuhrs]

I just listened to Fournier/Szell... great! I also want to mention Jacqueline du Pré/Barenboim with the Chicago Symphony — love that recording. I'll listen to Helmerson next.

[normstrong]

Dvořak's Cello Concerto is arguably a candidate for the greatest work of Any kind. There is something about the way the soloist and orchestra merge into one. It's hard to describe but an example is in the finale when the solo violin comes in, it's as if the cello has metamorphosed into a higher voice, and for a moment you don't realise its a different instrument. Mind you, I think Elgar's is also right up there with the greatest. -

[johnwright]

So glad you discussed one of my very favorite works. My absolute first choice has always been Fournier/Szell ever since it was first released. At the University of Wisconsin where I was a student in the 60s, I was concert manager on our music committee. We invariably had Janos Starker come up from Chicago to perform, and no doubt he was a great cellist, but with my urging for once we selected Pierre Fournier, who was touring in the US at the time (I had recently bought the LP of his performance with Szell). We were thrilled to have him in our concert series, meet him, and have him autograph the LP sleeve (which I still have). I later got the cassette and then the CD with the couplings you mentioned. My next go-to recording is a more recent one with the wonderful German cellist Johannes Moser and the Prague Philharmonia/Jakub Hrusa on Pentatone with terrific SACD sound that is coupled with the Lalo concerto. I also really like Zuill Bailey’s that you mentioned. Zuill is practically a native here in No. VA and we have had him on our concert series in the retirement community where I live and where I am in charge of our series. One of the others which I appreciate more for the orchestra than the cellist is Angelica May’s with the Czech Phil/Neumann. I totally agree with your assessment of the Rostropovich recordings and have never really liked the Karajan—which I blamed on the conductor. My exposure to the Talich was on a very noisy LP, but I could tell it was a great performance. Best of Rostropovich’s, though is the Ozawa with Boult not too far behind.
Ones to avoid in my opinion are Ma/Maazel (his later one with Masur is much better because of the orchestra/conductor), Maisky/Bernstein (horrible!), and Tomas Jamnik with the Prague Radio SO/Netopil (boring!), but it also contains the orchestral version of the first cello concerto, Silent Woods, and Rondo on a 2CD set on Supraphon.

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[ftumschk]

12:20 That Chuchro is fantastic! I hadn't heard of him before, but he gives an expressive, dynamic performance, and Neumann and the CPO are great, too. My recording has a different coupling - Martinů's 1st Cello Concerto - but this was worth getting for the Dvořák alone. Thank you for the recommendation.

[philipkass]

And here I thought you were going to save the Ma/Masur recording for last :-). It's so introspective and soulful that it makes for a great "headphone" listening experience - the quiet solo passages are just so sublime. Plus I could swear I heard part of the coda of the Dvorak (the dramatic crescendo at the end) in the welcome accompanying Herbert cello concerto #2. Another beautiful performance that was commended to me by Sanders Chase at LA's The Record Collector is Ludwig Hoelscher and Joseph Keilberth on Telefunken stereo - beautiful and forceful cello playing that reminded me of the old Feuermann recordings but with much better sound. Nevertheless, I thank you for your recommendations - I already had the Helmerson/Jarvi recording on Bis, so I just ordered the Schiff/Previn recording just for the fun of comparison.