The great French cellist Paul Tortelier's stupendous technique, wealth of expression, and breadth of repertoire are all showcased in this compilation of recordings from 1947 to 1960. It features recordings of music by, amongst others, Richard Strauss, Haydn, Hindemith, Beethoven and Brahms, with Tortelier performing alongside artists including Isaac Stern, Pablo Caslas, Joseph Szigeti, Rudolf Kempe, and Karel Ancerl.
Included in this 10CD set are benchmark recordings by Paul Tortelier of Elgar's Cello Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Malcolm Sargent (1953), and one dating from 1958 of Don Quixote by Richard Strauss with the Berlin Philharmonic under Rudolf Kempe. There are also cello concertos by Hindemith, Honegger and Haydn, cello sonatas by Beethoven and Brahms, as well as delightful solo and duo pieces taken from all periods of musical history by the likes of Frescobaldi, Paganini, Schumann, Chopin, Prokofiev, and Sarasate. In addition, recordings of Bach's 2nd Brandenburg concerto directed by Pablo Casals and Schubert's string quintet op. 163, where Tortelier and Casals play the two cello parts, are included. Last but not least the compilation also features music by Tortelier himself. Alongside the artists already mentioned, other outstanding musicians featured here include Myra Hess, Joseph Szigeti, Isaac Stern, and Karel Ancerl.
