L.V. Beethoven: Cello Concertos - Rostropovitch (Philips 1994) 2 CDs

A summary of Beethoven's musical development.

Beethoven's works for cello and piano provide a microcosm of his development as a composer. The first two are early works, exhibiting Beethoven's absorption of the Viennese style of Haydn and Mozart. The third is a middle-period work in which Beethoven experiments with musical structures, while the last two are grandly conceived works composed as Beethoven was moving towards his later style. This bargain CD featuring Mstislav Rostropovich and Sviatoslav Richter contains some of the finest performances ever to emerge from behind the Iron Curtain.

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