Dvorak - Cello Concerto [Maisky/Mehta-Berliner Philharmoniker]The Latvian Cellist Mischa Maisky is now in his early sixties, he's very individual, no bow tie and tails here, i suppose when you're as famous as he is, you can do what you want, also i find his cello playing is very individual as well, he seems to purposely do things different.
The booklet cover is really nice [by Susesch Bayat], i like the way the words stand out on their dark clothing, plus the white and grey emphasise the difference between the composers and their works.
This is a live recording, and it starts off with an 18 second track of applause!, something you want to listen to again and again, not! [at least you can programme it out!], one thing i notice about Maisky is that he's a very legato type player, he loves to blur his lines at times, the last movement Allegro is lyrical and sweet, the closing section is wistful and reminiscent, as the whole thing slows down to it's ultimate close [8:20-11:00], the cello plays extra gentle at [8:46+], and the trumpets play a soft background fanfare [9:06-9:24], and the cello again has a truly wistful moment [10:13+], as the timpani slows down the soft heartbeats to a close, a magical Cello Concerto.
Here's Mischa Maisky playing the opening of the first movement on YouTube.
