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For the price, Decca's five-disc collection entitled Ultimate Cello Classics does a fairly nice job of introducing listeners to some of the instrument's great literature. It includes the concertos of Dvorák, Saint-Saëns, Elgar, and Tchaikovsky (Rococo Variations), as well as the complete Bach solo suites. There are definite holes in the programming, however. With the exception of the aforementioned works, the remainder of the album is devoted almost exclusively to short transcriptions—works not even written for the cello. This wouldn't be so troubling if the collection included some of the "essential masterpieces" of the twentieth century or any of the sonata literature, works that are certainly more essential to the repertoire than Kreisler or Wieniawski transcriptions. As for the performances themselves, they are in general sufficient, but nothing more. None of the legendary performers associated with these works (such as du Pré's Elgar or Rostropovich's Dvorák) are included. Julian Lloyd Webber's performances of the concertos and Maurice Gendron's interpretations of the Bach suites are very bare bones; they give the listener all the notes and the general sense of the pieces at hand but are far from moving, legendary performances available elsewhere. For listeners simply seeking a quick introduction to the cello, this collection will certainly suffice, but it should be used as a stepping stone to superior recordings and a more complete library of the "essential" works of the cello repertoire. © Mike D. Brownell, All Music Guide
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Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák ComposerCello Concerto in B-, Op.104 Work |
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| 1 | 1.Allegro | 15:36 | $2.49 | |||
| 2 | 2.Adagio ma non troppo | 12:12 | $1.99 | |||
| 3 | 3.Finale: Allegro moderato | 13:23 | $2.49 | |||
| 4 | 13a.The Swan: Part 1 | 3:16 | $0.99 | |||
| 5 | Adagio in G- for Violin, Strings, and Organ (previously attributed to Albinoni) | 4:51 | $0.99 | |||
| 6 | 7.Traümerei (arr. cello and orchestra) | 3:31 | $0.99 | |||
| 7 | 10.Chorale: Jesus bleibt meine Freude (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring; various arrangements) | 3:05 | $0.99 | |||
| 8 | Variations on a Rococo Theme, for cello and orchestra (or cello and piano) in A, Op.33 | 19:39 | $3.49 | |||
| 9 | The Flight of the Bumblebee (various arrangements) | 1:14 | $0.49 | |||
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Camille Saint-Saëns ComposerCello Concerto No.1 in A-, Op.33 Work |
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| 1 | Cello Concerto No.1 in A-, Op.33 | 18:52 | $2.99 | |||
Gabriel Fauré ComposerElégie for Cello and Orchestra, Op.24 Work |
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| 2 | Elégie for Cello and Orchestra, Op.24 | 7:00 | $1.49 | |||
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| 3 | Ave Maria (Adaptation of Bach's Prelude in C, BWV846) | 4:59 | $0.99 | |||
| 4 | Allegro appassionato in B-, for cello and piano (or orchestra), Op.43 | 3:22 | $0.99 | |||
Sir Edward Elgar ComposerRomance, for bassoon and orchestra, Op.62 Work
Sir Neville Marriner Conductor,
Julian Lloyd Webber Cello,
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra
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| 5 | Romance, for bassoon and orchestra, Op.62 (arr. cello and orchestra) | 6:31 | $0.99 | |||
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| 6 | 1.Idylle (arr. cello and organ) | 3:34 | $0.99 | |||
Sir Edward Elgar ComposerCello Concerto in E-, Op.85 Work |
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| 7 | 1.Adagio. Moderato | 8:12 | $1.49 | |||
| 8 | 2.Lento. Allegro molto | 4:29 | $0.99 | |||
| 9 | 3.Adagio | 5:14 | $0.99 | |||
| 10 | 4.Allegro. Moderato. Allegro ma non troppo | 11:19 | $1.99 | |||
| CD 3 of 5 | ||||||
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| 1 | 1.Prelude | 2:25 | $0.99 | |||
| 2 | 2.Allemande | 4:08 | $0.99 | |||
| 3 | 3.Courante | 2:35 | $0.99 | |||
| 4 | 4.Sarabande | 3:05 | $0.99 | |||
| 5 | 5.Menuet 1 and 2 | 3:04 | $0.99 | |||
| 6 | 6.Gigue | 1:51 | $0.49 | |||
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| 7 | 1.Prelude | 5:08 | $0.99 | |||
| 8 | 2.Allemande | 3:18 | $0.99 | |||
| 9 | 3.Courante | 4:02 | $0.99 | |||
| 10 | 4.Sarabande | 4:47 | $0.99 | |||
| 11 | 5.Bourée 1 and 2 | 5:22 | $0.99 | |||
| 12 | 6.Gigue | 2:48 | $0.99 | |||
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| 13 | 1.Prelude | 5:07 | $0.99 | |||
| 14 | 2.Allemande | 8:14 | $1.49 | |||
| 15 | 3.Courante | 3:51 | $0.99 | |||
| 16 | 4.Sarabande | 4:31 | $0.99 | |||
| 17 | 5.Gavotte 1 and 2 | 3:56 | $0.99 | |||
| 18 | 6.Gigue | 4:27 | $0.99 | |||
| CD 4 of 5 | ||||||
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| 1 | 1.Prelude | 3:38 | $0.99 | |||
| 2 | 2.Allemande | 3:36 | $0.99 | |||
| 3 | 3.Courante | 1:59 | $0.49 | |||
| 4 | 4.Sarabande | 4:38 | $0.99 | |||
| 5 | 5.Menuet 1 and 2 | 2:59 | $0.99 | |||
| 6 | 6.Gigue | 2:49 | $0.99 | |||
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| 7 | 1.Prelude | 3:37 | $0.99 | |||
| 8 | 2.Allemande | 3:32 | $0.99 | |||
| 9 | 3.Courante | 3:13 | $0.99 | |||
| 10 | 4.Sarabande | 4:23 | $0.99 | |||
| 11 | 5.Bourée 1 and 2 | 3:09 | $0.99 | |||
| 12 | 6.Gigue | 3:25 | $0.99 | |||
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| 13 | 1.Prelude | 5:47 | $0.99 | |||
| 14 | 2.Allemande | 5:23 | $0.99 | |||
| 15 | 3.Courante | 2:30 | $0.99 | |||
| 16 | 4.Sarabande | 3:28 | $0.99 | |||
| 17 | 5.Gavotte 1 and 2 | 4:46 | $0.99 | |||
| 18 | 6.Gigue | 2:40 | $0.99 | |||
| CD 5 of 5 | ||||||
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| 1 | Scherzo-tarantelle in G-, Op.16 (arr. cello and piano) | 4:44 | $0.99 | |||
Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky Composer6 Morceaux, Op.51 Work |
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| 2 | 6.Valse sentimentale | 2:06 | $0.99 | |||
| 3 | 9.Sumaré | 2:00 | $0.99 | |||
| 4 | 13b.The Swan: Part 2 | 2:32 | $0.99 | |||
Gabriel Fauré ComposerPapillon, for cello and piano, Op.77 Work |
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| 5 | Papillon, for cello and piano, Op.77 | 2:34 | $0.99 | |||
| 6 | 1.Après un rêve | 2:50 | $0.99 | |||
| 7 | 8.Danza ritual del fuego (Ritual Fire Dance) | 3:17 | $0.99 | |||
| 8 | 5.Andaluza: Andantino quasi Allegretto | 3:40 | $0.99 | |||
Fritz Kreisler ComposerSchön Rosmarin Work |
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| 9 | Schön Rosmarin (arr. cello and piano) | 2:05 | $0.99 | |||
Fritz Kreisler ComposerLiebesleid ('Love's Sorrow') Work |
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| 10 | Liebesleid ('Love's Sorrow'; arr. cello and piano) | 3:14 | $0.99 | |||
Niccolò Paganini ComposerCantabile in D, for violin and guitar, MS109 Work |
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| 11 | Cantabile in D, for violin and guitar, MS109 (arr. cello and piano) | 3:30 | $0.99 | |||
| 12 | Introduction and Variations on 'Dal tuo stellato soglio' (arr. cello and piano) | 6:21 | $0.99 | |||
Enrico Mainardi ComposerCanti giapponesi (2), for cello & orchestra Work |
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| 13 | Canti giapponesi (2), for cello & orchestra | 6:04 | $0.99 | |||
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| 14 | No.1 | 4:00 | $0.99 | |||
Sergey Prokofiev ComposerMusic for Children, Op.65...10.March Work |
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| 15 | 10.March (arr.violin and piano) | 1:35 | $0.49 | |||
Reinhold Glière ComposerWaltz, for cello and piano, Op.48 Work |
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| 16 | Waltz, for cello and piano, Op.48 | 2:24 | $0.99 | |||
Scott Joplin ComposerOriginal Rags (collab. with Charles Daniels) Work |
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| 17 | Original Rags (collab. with Charles Daniels; arr. cello and piano) | 2:44 | $0.99 | |||
Scott Joplin ComposerElite Syncopations Work |
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| 18 | Elite Syncopations (arr. cello and piano) | 2:51 | $0.99 | |||









