The real prizes here are the Trio performances – svelte readings, perceptively phrased, technically magnificent and with a furious pace for Shostakovich’s Allegro non troppo (!) that pushes (or seems to push) all three players to the very limits of their considerable capabilities. The Largo is appropriately inward, and the finale suggests suppressed fury. Haydn’s sparkling D major is immaculately played, more brilliant than especially elegant perhaps, though Gilels’s unforced virtuosity is a joy to behold. The mono sound keeps all three players in a realistic perspective.
The Cello Concerto performance strikes me as less exceptional, principally because competition is so strong – especially from Rostropovich himself. On the plus side, Mravinsky’s orchestra plays well under the young Rozhdestvensky, with lightning inflexions and a typical ‘steel and velvet’ sheen to the string tone. Rostropovich himself is on fine form for most of the time, though there are some rather ungainly sounds from around 7'16'' into the Moderato second movement (where synchronization between soloist and orchestra is less than ideal). This was the British premiere, and any feelings of uncertainty were no doubt due to the relatively strange musical territory. The solo horn (Buyanovsky, according to Elizabeth Wilson’s excellent notes) is exceptional. Again, the recorded sound more than passes muster. Definitely worth investigating, primarily for some superb chamber-music playing.'