indydieselnut
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Thanks for the kind words! I think John would be the best resource for particularly well-engineered recordings of the cello (his knowledge there so surpasses my own it's not even in the same league). I can give you a few performers/labels that seem to get it right more often than not. I would welcome any caveats to this list that John feels appropriate.
1. Anner Bylsma on Sony. His Bach suites are a treat and, for that recording, he plays my personal favorite cello - the "Servais" Stradivari of 1701. I love Bylsma's musicianship...his recordings of the Haydn cello concerti on Sony with Tafelmusik are my personal reference.
2. Heinrich Schiff on EMI. I haven't had the chance to hear Schiff much live and my impression is that the EMI engineers have done a bit too much editorializing on most of the recordings. However, I love his precision playing and texture.
3. Truls Mork on Virgin. Mr. Mork is another cellist I've heard on many occasions from small recital halls to large orchestra halls. The Montagnana cello he plays for many of these recordings is a bit reedy for my taste but it's just the cello. Truls is a monster technician! His recordings of the Shostakovich concerti are amazing. I'll always have a soft spot for Rostropovich's readings of these works, but Mork brings his prodigious technique to bear and gives us something special here. In the first concerto, the last note Mork plays out of the cadenza into the fourth movement (after the orchestra enters at the end of the cadenza) is worth hearing!
One interesting point is that I think an avid concertgoer (or an engineer like John...who's probably also an avid concertgoer!) has a better grasp of what a cello sounds like in a hall than a cellist might! I know it's a strange thing to say, but cellists spend most of their time directly behind the instrument. It takes years and years to be able to understand how what you're doing behind the instrument translates into the hall. I've still only begun that journey!
I'll be anxiously awaiting anything John adds to the list!
1. Anner Bylsma on Sony. His Bach suites are a treat and, for that recording, he plays my personal favorite cello - the "Servais" Stradivari of 1701. I love Bylsma's musicianship...his recordings of the Haydn cello concerti on Sony with Tafelmusik are my personal reference.
2. Heinrich Schiff on EMI. I haven't had the chance to hear Schiff much live and my impression is that the EMI engineers have done a bit too much editorializing on most of the recordings. However, I love his precision playing and texture.
3. Truls Mork on Virgin. Mr. Mork is another cellist I've heard on many occasions from small recital halls to large orchestra halls. The Montagnana cello he plays for many of these recordings is a bit reedy for my taste but it's just the cello. Truls is a monster technician! His recordings of the Shostakovich concerti are amazing. I'll always have a soft spot for Rostropovich's readings of these works, but Mork brings his prodigious technique to bear and gives us something special here. In the first concerto, the last note Mork plays out of the cadenza into the fourth movement (after the orchestra enters at the end of the cadenza) is worth hearing!
One interesting point is that I think an avid concertgoer (or an engineer like John...who's probably also an avid concertgoer!) has a better grasp of what a cello sounds like in a hall than a cellist might! I know it's a strange thing to say, but cellists spend most of their time directly behind the instrument. It takes years and years to be able to understand how what you're doing behind the instrument translates into the hall. I've still only begun that journey!
I'll be anxiously awaiting anything John adds to the list!
