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Editorial Reviews

There is no question that every listener interested in Prokofiev's late works will have to hear Mstislav Rostropovich's recordings of the Soviet composer's "Sonata for cello and piano" and his "Symphony for cello and orchestra" (aka the "Sinfonia Concertante" for cello and orchestra). The former work was written for, dedicated to, and premiered by Rostropovich and the later work was re-written from an earlier cello concerto specially for the great Russian cellist.

The real question is: which Rostropovich recordings to hear? For the sonata, the answer has always been the March 1, 1950, recording of the world-premiere performance given with pianist Sviatoslav Richter in the presence of the composer. For authority and authenticity, it is impossible to beat, although some argue the pair's live performance from around 1955 often comes close. On this 2008 Monopole disc, however, is a 1956 performance of the sonata by the same players heretofore unlisted in international catalogs. While detailed comparisons are outside the scope of this review, it can safely be said that the playing in all three accounts is equally virtuosic and deeply felt. It might be that this performance is less forceful than either of the other two, with perhaps not so much passion in the opening Andante grave but possibly more whimsy in the central Moderato and closing Allegro, ma non troppo. Though this performance clearly has its merits, like the circa 1955 recordings, it cannot equal the 1950 account.

On the other hand, this 1954 recording of Prokofiev's "Sinfonia Concertante" with the Leningrad State Philharmonic led by Kurt Sanderling may well be the finest Rostropovich performance of the work ever released. The principal reason for this may be its date: the other five are all later. True, two of those recordings are only a little later -- there are Malcolm Sargent and another Kurt Sanderling accompanied performance from 1957, as well as a performance with Gennady Rozhdestvensky from 1964, a performance with Kiril Kondrashin from 1972, and a performance with Seiji Ozawa from 1984 -- but none of them, not even the earliest, has quite the fire this one does. The piercing intensity of Rostropovich's tone and the blazing virtuosity of his playing are even more in evidence here than three years later, and his manifest conviction that the "Sinfonia Concertante" is great music is even more compelling. Though the sound of both recordings is at best serviceable, it's never unlistenable, and Prokofiev aficionados will be no doubt enthusiastically embrace this disc. James Leonard, All Music Guide

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