For anyone with SACD I can recommend a 2008 release on hybrid disc by Martin Ostertag. I doubt if anyone knows of him but his performance is surprisingly gripping and rhythmic, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Be careful as the same recording has been released this year with similar artwork on ordinary CD.
I only know of the Mercury Legacy recording by Starker that is available on SACD. A quick look on the internet identified SACD by Suzuki and Viersen. Any others?
I have enough recordings to last a lifetime, but one of my record suppliers listed some stock of the Speaker’s Corner reissue (vinyl) of Starker for £75. Fremer reviewed it and thought it sounded absolutely magnificent. I’ve never played this recording, so I’m looking forward to listening to it.
Fremer much preferred the AP 45RPM version and didn’t like this one so much afterwards. But the Speakers Corner imo is also extremely good, just a bit rich, even with some more reverb…anyway far far superior to the SACD (available of a different mastering only unfortunately).
The 45 RPM box with the new vinyl mastering is again better, but both sound phenomenal. The Bailey release, as good as it is, is no comparison musically and sound wise imo.
My only other vinyl copy is Fournier on Archiv.
The most memorable performance was by Stephen Isserlis at Wigmore Hall and I’ve heard him play selected suites on other occasions. He now uses a wonderfully rich and deep cello, the ‘Marquis de Coberon’ Stradivarius, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music for the last 10 years. Prior to that he had a rather different one, the ‘De Munck’ Stradivarius, which he used on his 2007 recording, which is one of the very best modern recordings, hardly surprising. He explains in performance that he prefers to stick to the 4 string cello and also does so in the 2007 recording.
I have the AP 45rpm 6 record set. My brother said it sounded like there’s a live cello playing in my room when I played it for him.
Yes, one of the must have LP boxes…meanwhile 400-800$.
There’s PSA’s Octave Records release of new performances by Zuill Bailey:
Always considered this one a treat, fabulous.
Dear Craig many thanks for that link. I think this may finally persuade me to invest in High resolution audio!