Sofia Gubaidulina

Mstislav Rostropovich was born on 27th March 1927 and died from cancer a month after his 80th birthday. Whereas Pablo Casals was the leading cellist of the first half of the 20th century, Rostropovich took on this mantle for the second half. He was more than just a cellist however as he conducted and was an excellent piano accompanist to his wife, the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He also became a leading citizen of the world by his support for the Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn, then stripped of his Russian citizenship by the Communists after being granted a visa to work abroad in 1974 and flying back to assist Boris Yeltsin when the new Parliament was besieged by Communist renegades in 1991.

This collection brings together all the recordings with cello that he made for EMI Classics including both versions of the Brahms Double Concerto made with Oistrakh and Szell in 1969 and Perlman and Haitink in 1979; the Dvorák Concerto with Boult in 1957 and Giulini in 1977 and Saint-Saëns Concerto No. 1 with Sargent in 1956 and Giulini in 1977; the Bach Cello Suites both on CD and DVD and the 13CDs of recordings which Rostropovich brought to EMI entitled “The Russian Years”.

Such was his enthusiasm and remarkable playing he inspired numerous composers to write for him. He always expressed his view that the greatest were Sergei Prokofiev, who died on the same day as Stalin, 5th March 1953, Dmitri Shostakovich, died on 9th August 1975 and Benjamin Britten, died on 4th December 1976. Both Rostropovich and Shostakovich had lost their fathers whilst teenagers so when Shostakovich became his teacher he was more of a surrogate father and you may imagine his anguish at not being able to return to Moscow for the funeral (having been stripped of his citizenship); it was thus at Britten’s funeral service that he could give vent to his sadness at the loss of both great friends.

Slava, as he was universally known by his countless friends and colleagues, has left the world a matchless recorded legacy of his genius.

We should all listen and be grateful.

Anne-Sophie Mutter’s first Bach recording for DG couples his Concertos BWV 1041 and BWV 1042 with the world-premiere recording of the Concerto commissioned by her from Sofia Gubaidulina, the Russian composer who regards Bach as her greatest source of inspiration

Mutter gave the premiere performance of Gubaidulina’s Concerto at the 2007 Lucerne Festival and will record the work with the London Symphony Orchestra and Valery Gergiev at the beginning of 2008

For the Bach Concertos Mutter reunites with the Trondheim Soloists, with whom she recorded the Vivaldi Four Seasons album that has sold more than 350,000 copies.

The combination of Bach and Gubaidulina will appeal to lovers of Bach and instrumental music in general as well as to listeners interested in discovering something new. It also offers a unique marketing angle for the specialist music press as a follow-up Mutter’s 2006 Mozart project

“Anyone who has yet to encounter the playing of the astonishing young flautist Sharon Bezaly should do so without delay. She makes a sensational sound, can play anything from Bach to contemporary…” Classic FM Magazine

Sharon Bezaly has been recognized not only for her superb gifts as a musician, but also for her commitment to her instrument and its repertoire. She has inspired numerous composers to compose directly for her, and makes it a priority to perform these works all over the world, as well as recording them. To date no less than 15 flute concertos have been dedicated to her, and on Spellbound three of these are gathered.

On Spellbound, Sharon Bezaly interprets works by three female composers: Sofia Gubaidulina, Sally Beamish and Mari Takano. All three concertos were dedicated to Sharon Bezaly and the result is a triptych of three highly personal pieces joined together by the spellbinding artistry of the flautist.