Mstislav Rostropovich live in 1985
Haydn / Saint-Saens / Elgar concertos

Haydn: Cello Concerto No.1 in C major (cadenzas by Benjamin Britten)
Mstislav Rostropovich
London Symphony Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall, London, 1 July 1965

Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor Op.33
Mstislav Rostropovich
London Symphony Orchestra
Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Royal Festival Hall, London, 7 July 1965

Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85
Mstislav Rostropovich
London Symphony Orchestra
Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Royal Festival Hall, London, 5 July 1965

BBC Legends BBCL 4198-2

A marvellous souvenir of one of the greatest musical feasts of my concert going lifetime; 31 cello concertos in (probably) 10 concerts at the Festival Hall during a few summer weeks. The rapport between Rostropovich at his peak and the mischievous nearly-equally charismatic Rozhdestvensky was a joy, and theirs with the audience left us feeling bereft after the last of the series.

The Haydn ("No 1") was new to most of us, and its vitality comes across again in this performance with Rostropovich conducting from the cello. The Elgar (which he never recorded in the studio, deferring to his unmatchable one-time pupil Jacqeline du Pré) comes over live and lithe, a rare memento of a concerto he "reluctantly put aside" after playing it for a few years.

Highly recommended, to sit in pride of place on my shelf next to the indispensible EMI Classics box of Rostropovich The Russian Years (7243 5 72016 2 9). This one is well recorded and well worth BBC/IMG's mid-price; not always the case in this series against budget historic versions. Presumably the other 28 concertos were recorded too; more of them keenly awaited.