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This is one of the most important recordings of the 20th century, both for its content (considered by many the greatest cello music of all time) and for the intense devotion, careful preparation, and towering technical skill that went into the project. It was a brilliant idea to make a video as well as an audio recording. Cellists will welcome the chance to study Rostropovich’s bowing and fingering techniques, close up and at leisure. And music-lovers will welcome the v… More >>
Bach – Cello Suites / Rostropovich
Tags: amazon, bach, bach cello suites, brilliant idea, careful preparation, cellists, Cello, cello music, intense devotion, music lovers, Rostropovich, Suites, technical skill
#1 by Kay Mccormick on March 26, 2010 - 3:14 am
I have a Sony upconverting dvd player and there is a strange purple hue when the upconversion is enabled. I have experienced the same effect using the component outputs on another dvd player. It makes it basically unwatchable. It looks normal without upconversion or over svideo. It’s upsetting for such a fine dvd. It would be 5 stars otherwise.
Rating: 4 / 5
#2 by Anonymous on March 26, 2010 - 5:28 am
What we have is three suites per DVD with Rostropovich giving short talks about the suite he is going to record next before it is presented. The talks are in Russian and subtitles are available. The sound is quite fine.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by J. Scott Shipman on March 26, 2010 - 7:30 am
Purchased the CDs when they were released—-and they remained in my stereo for at least six months. Rostropovich’s interpretation is simply beyond words…so imagine my surprise over 10 years later, taking cello lessons. My cello teacher loaned me a couple of cello DVDs—we wondered aloud if Rostropovich filmed his monumental recording. It would be understatement in the extreme to say how delighted I was when I found he did. These DVDs are even better than the CD recordings, for the artist described each piece in detail. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Hengli Li on March 26, 2010 - 9:25 am
If you study cello, or enjoy solo cello, this is great. This is unique, and can’t be found elsewhere.
My complaint is the video taping technique and quality. It had dropouts, indicating it was either filmed or analog-taped. Some close-ups are not necessary and not steady, other times the person is too small. Guess the cameraman felt he had to do something. And the result is annoying. My opinion is that it is best not to do anything and just let the camera roll. Shame on the camera crew.
Despite the video drawbacks, the content is highly valuable, especially if you are a cellist.
Rating: 4 / 5
#5 by Bachaholic on March 26, 2010 - 10:58 am
This is a breathtaking DVD. While the playing is scintillating, I was struck by Slava’s remarks about the music. It is so illuminating to hear him speak about the energy in the phrase and demonstrate on the piano. This a disc for all the senses not just the ears and eyes. Not since Casals have we had such wonderful marriage of musicianship and scholarship in one package. Bravo!
Rating: 5 / 5