Dvořák & Elgar Cello Concertos

The British cellist Jacqueline du Pré was a unique artist whose gleaming tone and impassioned performances continue to capture listeners’ hearts decades after her untimely death, at 42, from multiple sclerosis. The condition had forced her to stop playing at the age of 28. Her recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto, captured in August 1965 with the London Symphony Orchestra and John Barbirolli, is an undisputed classic. The performance, which set a standard that has rarely been surpassed, seems to strike at the heart of this poignant concerto, while the combination of young soloist and mature conductor reaps huge musical rewards. Alongside it is another great cello concerto, by Dvořák, performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by du Pré‘s husband, Daniel Barenboim.