So funny, I have my own Albert Catell story also at Tower Records but if memory serves it was at the downtown Tower Annex on West 4th and Lafayette. I was perusing the opera section looking at a Die Walkure when this very elegantly dressed older gentleman commented on my selection with the fact that he had played cello or both Furtwangler and Toscanini. At first I thought that this guy was a bit odd but the more he spoke the more charming and believable he was. In fact, he told me that he had just been interviewed for a bio of Furtwangler (which naturally, upon my first opportunity I found the book, checked the index and sure enough, there he was!). I remember two quotes of his in particular - that Bernstein was “a genius, music from head to toe” and that Bruno Walter was “a pig!”. He gave me his card which said that he was with the NY Chamber Orchestra and at my first opportunity I found and purchased his recording of the Dvorak on Memoria which remains one of my most cherished possessions. I regret that I never followed up and called him - what a fine, old world gentleman! As a side note, hopefully you will one day speak of Sixten Ehrling who I also had the honor of meeting and speaking with at Tower (this time the one near Lincoln Center on Broadway and 66th) - I have a wonderful story he shared about a meeting he had a the home of Sibelius. In the meantime, thank you and I’ll keep on listening!

Pierre Fournier with Szell for me... It's been with me since my youth. It has inspired me since and continues to do so even today. To me, this is one of those recordings that simply cannot be replaced. Fournier was such a sophisticated musician (in the good sense of the word). His sound brings a shine and expression to this music that is unsurpassed (eg. listen to the 3rd movement, solo with violin)... I know I'm biased, but I don't care.

Having gotten the Rostropovich/Talich 1952 LP for something like 50 cents, I took it to his St. Louis Symphony performance in '66 to have him autograph it.  He wrote, in his incomparable English, "1950!!  Very old--end bed!"  So it stands to reason he later preferred the less "bed" Ozawa recording.   I still own and treasure that LP, even if the performance is grainy and lacking in tonal sheen.

When you said "his Gucci cello and his Yves St Laurent cello" I choked on my coffee. You almost killed me, dude. lol.

I've read somewhere a interview with Rostropovitch in which he said what HIS favorite recording was: with Ozawa. So you're not alone in this ;-)

Szell/Fournier/BPO. There is a magisterial/aristocratic sense in this recording. It is unmatched. The desert island performance of the Dvorak Cello Concerto.

I'm so happy I discovered your channel first minute. Otherwise I would've needed months and months to catch up. You are so prolific! And I enjoy every bit of it. Thank you!

I totally agree with you : Fournier / Szell

I still go to Starker's Bach cello suites for a really satisfying listen.  Nice that you bring him up in this vid. Just heard the performance the other day on Sirius.

One need only take a look at the complete instrumentation- three horns rather than the typical four- to understand how personally and specifically Dvorak considered the colors (and indeed everything else) in this work. Nothing is superfluous in this piece- he knew exactly what he wanted to say, and said it, gloriously.

I just listened to Fournier/Szell... great! I also want to mention Jacqueline du Pré/Barenboim with the Chicago Symphony — love that recording. I'll listen to Helmerson next.

Loved learning about the Albert Catell CD.  I had the pleasure of performing a “Trout” Quintet with him.  I’m a bass player.  I also saw him from time to time in a violin shop where I worked part time.  He liked to pop in and regal us with stories and opinions on the state of music while trying out cellos.  Truly the last grand old man.  Thank you!

And here I thought you were going to save the Ma/Masur recording for last :-).  It's so introspective and soulful that it makes for a great "headphone" listening experience - the quiet solo passages are just so sublime. Plus I could swear I heard part of the coda of the Dvorak (the dramatic crescendo at the end) in the welcome accompanying Herbert cello concerto #2.  Another beautiful performance that was commended to me by Sanders Chase at LA's The Record Collector is Ludwig Hoelscher and Joseph Keilberth on Telefunken stereo - beautiful and forceful cello playing that reminded me of the old Feuermann recordings but with much better sound. Nevertheless, I thank you for your recommendations - I already had the Helmerson/Jarvi recording on Bis, so I just ordered the Schiff/Previn recording just for the fun of comparison.

Great video, Dave. And since you mentioned it, I think we are all eagerly awaiting your review of the Ormandy box. :)

This time Dave you managed to shock me..I would never have thought that at the end you were going to single out exactly my favorite version! It's a wonderful performance, and hardly anyone knows It, since at the time Philips distributed it so poorly (I remember finding it in some bargain bin).Great video, BTW!

I only found your YouTube page this month & I enjoy your talks immensely! Thank you so much! I hope you're taking good care of your voice, throat & overall health.
         I must admit my first experience with the Dvorak Cello Concerto is also my favorite so far--Gaspard Cassado with Jonel Perlea & the Pro Musica Orchestra Vienna. Such a warm-hearted performance! But I've been collecting other recordings, including some you recommended, like Szell/Fournier & Rostropovich's first recording with Talich & the Czech Philharmonic. Still behind on listening to those.

my favorite video of all the youtube - i play the cello and hearing this... ah... 😊😁☺️

The sound on the Previn/Schiff recording is outstanding to my ears.

TOTALLY with Schiff - Previn and my favorite VPO!!!  Glorious recording and performance. Phillips always seemed to capture the sonics of the VPO and the Musikverein so perfectly.  This is a treasure.  So glad you love it too.

Back in 1990, my then-girlfriend and I planned a trip to Scotland, England, and France, passing through Belgium to Den Haag in the Netherlands, for the World Science Fiction Convention. When I was discussing the itinerary with my travel agent ("d'ye remember travel agents?"), he mentioned that we were scheduled to arrive in Edinburgh the day before the beginning of the Festival. (The original one, not the Fringe, which seems to have taken over.) I knew the Festival always had a gala opening-night concert, and I asked him to get us tickets. "I don't care what it is, I just want to be there."
Tiresome backstory: Over the years, I had never had the opportunity to see Mstislav Rostropovich play the cello. When I lived in Los Angeles, he played at the Music Center and I was unable to get there. I moved to San Francisco for college and transportation to the War Memorial Opera House was easy -- but Slava would only do the occasional pension fund concert for Big Bux, which I just couldn't afford. (Then he'd fly down to Los Angeles and do a week of concerts.) And when I went to grad school in Minnesota, which he regarded as Flyoverland. So I never got to hear him play the cello. (I did see him conduct "Pikovaya Dama" in San Francisco, however.)
So imagine my delight when I found that the opening concert of the Edinburgh Festival featured Slava playing the Dvořák, with Seiji Ozawa conducting an orchestra I had never heard of before. (Saito Kinen, now very much a known quantity.) We had a variety of mishaps upon arriving in Scotland, but these did not keep us from that first night, so I finally heard him play, and in the work I most wanted to hear him play, at that. Then came the interval, and I told the girlfriend, "Oh, Brahms FIrst, ho-hum." But it was the best Brahms First I had ever heard, or so it seemed at the time. Philips recorded the Saito Kinen doing a Brahms cycle during that touring year, issuing the CDs one by one. Polygram (or was it Universal by then?) played their little tricks by issuing the disk with Brahms FIrst in Europe and then waiting A FULL YEAR before the US issue, darn them.
Oh, and if I were to pick a historical (something you rarely do, I know) it would be Emanuel Feuermann with Hans Lange conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a benefit set sold by the CSO itself.