This boxed set presents the greatest cello concertos by the greatest cellist in history, Jacqueline du Pré, in recent HD remasterings made from the original tapes and specially adapted for SACD.

The Signature Collection is a brand new series from EMI Classics featuring the finest catalog recordings released for the first time ever in high resolution format. The expert engineers at Abbey Road Studios who remastered the original EMI recordings for Hybrid Super Audio CD series have breathed new life into these iconic catalog recordings. Each title in the Signature Collection is beautifully presented in a full-color illustrated hardback book. The liner notes explore mot only the rich music but also the story behind original LP covers. Also included are never before seen photographs of the original master tapes.

At a young age, cellist Jacqueline du Pre achieved mainstream popularity. She is regarded as one of the most distinctive cellists of the last half of the 20th century. Her career was cut short by a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis which stopped her performances at the age of 27. This Japanese SACD reissue from 2018 combines Dvorak's Cello Concerto In B Minor from 1970 (as well with the additional piece of music "Silent Woods") and a gut-wrenching performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor from 1965 (as well with the additional pieces of "Sea Pictures").

Her story is one of the most legendary of all twentieth century musicians' stories, and also, one of the most tragic. Cellist Jacqueline Du Pré, born on January 26, 1945, in Oxford, England, to Derek and Iris Du Pré. (Despite the family name, Derek Du Pré was not French, but rather of British Channel Island ancestry; he could trace his lineage back to the Norman Conquest). She blossomed young and achieved international fame in a few short years during the mid-1960s, during which same time she joined Daniel Barenboim in one of history's most celebrated musical marriages. But her career was shattered in the early 1970s – not even a decade into its maturity – by multiple sclerosis.

Acclaimed instrumentalists, Jacqueline du Pre and Daniel Barenboim, perform earlier masterpieces by Brahms. These sonatas written for cello and piano invoke the romantic style, interpreted superbly by the pair. The performances are expressive, graceful and reveal the pieces’ sheer tonal beauty. A vital addition to any music lover's library.

The tragedy of du Pré’s brief career is still fresh in the public memory and can be summarised here. She was born in Oxford on 26 January 1945 into a middle-class family in which music was important: her mother was a fine pianist and a gifted teacher. The French-sounding name came from her father’s Channel Islands ancestry. Just before her fifth birthday, when she was already showing musical promise, she heard the sound of a cello on the radio and the course of her life was set.

Daniel Barenboim, the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Jacqueline du Pre deliver lush interpretations of these cello concertos by Schumann and Saint-Saëns. The musicians display finesse and delicacy. These are the definitive performances, absolutely a must-own.