Testament

This 1951 mono recording set the benchmark for many years, and so it probably did much to establish the current, questionable norms of tempo. But it's superb performance, played with skill... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2008 More…

The strong emotions that soloist and conductor doubtless felt within six months of the composer's death ensure that there is more than enough raw and authentic feeling to counter any purely... — Gramophone Magazine, May 2010 More…

this Testament release of Rostropovich in his debut at the Aldeburgh Festival catches the cellist somewhere near his early and all-conquering best — Gramophone Magazine, July 2017 More…

Although many accounts of the Prokofiev have appeared over the years, none has approached, let alone surpassed, the Hollywood version of the Second Quartet. The same would no doubt apply to... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

There have never been any doubts about these performances. The horn playing in the Sinfoniaconcertante is unsurpassable and in the quintets Gieseking's lightness and his clarity and sense of... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

The Czechs take a startlingly brisk pace in the Adagio, more than twice as fast as some, and so need to speed up only slightly for a searing middle section. The velvety sound is a delight. — BBC Music Magazine, January 2008 More…