Yo-Yo Ma Plays Concertos Sonatas & Suites

This would be a wonderful box set even if it wasn't a fantastic bargain - a dollar and change per CD? That's just crazy. This generous 8-disc set contains cello concertos by Vivaldi, Boccherini, Haydn, Schumann, Dvorak, Saint-Saens, Walton, Elgar, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky, plus Bach's Unaccompanied Cello Suites 1-3, and sonatas by Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms. You should be aware, though, that nearly all of these are performances from the 1980's, except for Tchaikovsky's "Variations on a Rococo Theme" from 1992, and the Vivaldi disc which is from 2004. One will note some variation in sound quality among the performances, too, though nothing I would describe as substandard. But Yo-Yo Ma is such a dynamic and expressive performer that every one of these discs is a joy to listen to. I'm particularly glad that the Elgar concerto is included - which my wife and I saw him perform it a few summers ago at Tanglewood, and we were blown away. If you are a fan and don't already have most of these previously released recordings, snap this up today!

I'm so glad I purchased this set, which will provide countless hours of musical enjoyment, at a bargain price. CD1 is typical Vivaldi, cheerful and breezy in the allegros, relaxing and soothing in the largos. The remarkable instrumental interplay makes it sound effortless. A perfect CD. On CD2 Boccherini's Cello Concerto 9 has many beautiful melodies, especially in the adagio. Haydn's Cello Concerto's 1 & 2 are better than Haydn's best symphonies. On CD 3 the Schumann Cello Concerto in A minor has beautiful, powerful Romantic themes. I wish my whole CD collection were this excellent. Based on owning the Rostropovich vinyl recording of the Dvorak Cello Concerto in B minor, I held the opinion for 47 years that this concerto was overrated. Having heard Yo-Yo Ma's CD, I must reverse my opinion. This DDD recording reveals details I never heard before. Silent Woods is thoroughly beautiful, in a calm mood. On CD 4 the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto 1 in A minor has several good distinctive melodies that build to a satisfying climax. I never heard Lalo before. The first movement of his Cello Concerto in D minor is an emotional work. In movement 2 there is a repeated orchestral motif with a cello part meant to sound improvised. Movement 3's themes and dynamics are influenced by Beethoven. In Walton's Cello Concerto, movement 1 has a haunting melody with haunting harmonies. This would fit in "The Planets" by Holst. Movement 3 presents unusual but attractive orchestration. Several different tempos and dynamics make this sound not unified. Two of the cello cadenzas are frankly rather ugly, sounding strained. On CD 5 Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor, movement 1 has only 1 melody, so it's easy to follow. Movement 3 has only 1 melody, but a pretty one. In movement 4 both themes are fully developed. In the Shostakovich Cello Concerto 1 in E-flat, movement 1's 4-note motif receives thorough development. Movement 2 is brooding, then becomes more forte and agitated, followed by a pianissimo mood. Movement 4 is a forte allegro requiring virtuosity and returns to movement 3's 4-note motif. In Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme variations 2-3 are particularly pretty. Variation 6, accompanied by pizzicato strings, is beautiful. Excellent orchestration, as usual, by Tchaikovsky. CD 6 Bach's Suites for Cello 1, 3 & 5 are consistently captivating. On CD 7 Beethoven's Sonatas for Piano and Cello 1 & 2, 7 Variations in E-flat, and 12 Variations in F are of uniformly high quality. CD 8 contains stirring Romantic pieces by Brahms and Schumann.

I have only two gripes...no booklet of information inside the box and only three of Bach's suites for unaccompanied cello, my favorite music of all time, are included. That being said, the music is sublime. the 24 bit mastering yields a sound every bit as great as an SACD. The value is unsurpassed. If you love cello, you need this set. With the quality of the remastering, even if you own much of the material in this set, you need it.

We are talking about the finest cellist in the world. What's not to like? 15 to 30 seconds into the first track will have you hooked even if you have no interest in cello music. SO beautiful...

Sound quality is just fine, price is fantastic. Arrived quickly, no packaging complaints. Put 5 disks in the cd-changer in my living room for background studying music, and the other 3 in my car - Yo-Yo Ma everywhere! I like that inside the box each disk has its own sleeve, as opposed to the kind of jewel case with two-sided "pages" to mount each disk. This way, if I bring a couple of disks out to my car, or lend it to someone, or whatever, each disk is protected independently. Highly recommend.

Wonderful collection of quality music! Love it!

It's Yo-Yo. What more is there to say?

There is a great variety of music in this group of CDs. This was a very good buy for any cellist.

This 8 disc set was mostly recorded 1979-85 with the exception of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations (1991) and Vivaldi (2003). The 24-bit remastering is excellent and none of the discs suffer from the harshness of early digital recordings.The first disc ('Vivaldi's Cello') is played on a baroque cello with Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque: quite a lot of the pieces are arrangements and it's a pleasant and undemanding listen but left me feeling there are so many other Vivaldi discs I'd rather listen to.There are four discs of cello with orchestra, recorded in London, Berlin, Paris Munich, St Paul, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The Dvorak and Elgar are the two concerti which are most widely recorded. Though very good Ma would not be first choice recording in the Elgar, as he lacks du Pre's passion, and from rival versions I prefer Lloyd Webber and Queyras to Ma's lyrical approach. In the Dvorak there are times when soloist and conductor linger too much at moments of beauty (it's one of Dvorak's finest compositions, so there's no shortage of those) which is not surprising as the conductor is Maazel and the orchestra the Berlin Philharmonic. By contrast Haydn and Boccherini demonstrate Ma's strengths in making the cello sing in its upper register. That singing quality along with a strong sense of rhythm are evident in the three Bach suites - he lacks the intimacy of Fournier's classic recordings but I'm very happy to have these three as an alternative version to listen to.Other concertante works by Lalo, Saint-Saens (#1), Schumann, Shostakovich (#1), Tchaikovsky and Walton are all very well played and beautifully recorded with orchestras conducted by Colin Davis, Maazel, Ormandy and Previn. Whether (like me) you're looking for alternative versions of the solo cello and orchestra masterpieces, or an introduction to that repertoire, these four discs make the box highly recommendable.Best of all are the last two discs of Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann recorded with pianist Emmanuel Ax. These chamber pieces can leave a cellist sounding exposed but Ma produces tonal beauty in all registers, and he and Ax are always in close partnership. At this bargain price those two discs by themselves make the box worth five stars.Like other releases in Sony's Classical Masters series there is no booklet or notes.

These are old recordongs but the transfer to 24bit cd is perfect. As you would expect the performances are first rate. Particularly good are the two Haydn concertos with the eco and Garcia. The adagios in both are stunning. The price is also amazing value for money. No reason not to buy.

Brilliant! What a rich gift of music for an excellent price.

So undistinctive.

A marvellous collection, some more preferable than others but a real bargain. I'm glad I "risked" it